by Mary Ann Gratton
A record number of faculty members from the University of Toronto Scarborough have been nominated for TVO’s Best Lecturer, with a dozen names on the nomination list.
The 12 nominees are: Professors Oren Amitay, Gerald Cupchik, Marc Fournier, Steve Joordens, Janelle LeBoutillier, Ted Petit and Konstantine Zakzanis (Psychology), Chris Bovaird (Management), Raymond Grinnell (Computer and Mathematical Sciences), Clare Hasenkampf (Biology), and Garry Leonard and Chris Pennington (Humanities, English and History respectively).
“We are thrilled to be breaking our own record with 12 faculty members nominated this year for TVO’s Best Lecturer,” said Professor Ragnar-Olaf Buchweitz, vice-principal (academic) and dean. “We are very proud of the excellent teaching on our campus in all disciplines, and these numbers support the fact that we are at the top of the class in terms of teaching quality. It also reaffirms our conviction that research excellence is the best platform to support outstanding teaching, since it conveys to students the excitement of learning and discovery.”
“We congratulate all of the nominees for their ongoing commitment to deliver the best teaching possible, and thank all of our students who took the time to submit a nomination,” he added.
The nominees this year include seven faculty members from the psychology department at U of T Scarborough, which boasts the most nominations of any department at any institution in the province for 2008.
“This year’s list is a particular tribute to the psychology department and the excellent professors we have,” said Professor John Bassili, chair of psychology. “More important than the competition is the fact that our students reap the benefits of learning from so many outstanding instructors here at our campus every day.”
TVO’s Best Lecturer released the names of 126 nominees from institutions across the province. The University of Toronto has garnered the most nominations, with 31 professors. They include 15 faculty members from the St. George campus and four from the University of Toronto Mississauga.
Nominated St. George professors are: Jason H. Anderson, Barbara Ann Ballyk, Claudio Colaguori, Glenn Gulak, Shawn Lehman, Andrew Lesk, Leonid Livak, Nick Mount, Doug Richards, Shawna Rooke, Anne Simmonds, Paul Stevens, Suzanne Stewart, Njoki Wane, and Michael J. Wiley. Professors from UTM who were nominated are: James Appleyard, Lee Bailey, Monika Havelka, and Daz Urbszat.
A panel of judges will choose 10 finalists from the nominee list to deliver complete televised lectures on TVO’s Big Ideas program. Finalists will be chosen for their ability to present complex ideas with clarity, energy and authority. The top ten finalists are scheduled to be announced in early December.
Television viewers who watch the Big Ideas program on TVO will have a chance to grade each of the finalists and cast their vote for TVO’s Best Lecturer. The final lectures will begin airing on TVO on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009. The lecture series is sponsored by Meloche Monnex, and the winning lecturer’s institution will receive a $10,000 TD Meloche Monnex Scholarship.
For more details and a complete list of nominees, click here.