Posted p.m. Monday, June 3, 2019
This is fourth in a series of profiles on this year’s Eagle Teaching Excellence Award winners.
This is fourth in a series of profiles on this year’s Eagle Teaching Excellence Award winners
There is no doubt UWL faculty members make a major difference in the lives and academic experiences of students. This year UWL’s Provost Office received more than 600 nominations from UWL students to recognize excellent teachers.
From these nominations, a committee selected six faculty members as the 2019 Eagle Teaching Excellence Award winners. Their names were announced at the end of spring semester and as part of spring commencement. They will also be recognized among colleagues at the Chancellor’s All-University Address in fall.
The winners are:
Nilakshi Borah ~ Finance
Mary Hamman ~ Economics
Tom Jesse ~ English Education
Terry Smith ~ Communication Studies
Meredith Thomsen ~ Biology
Nathan Warnberg ~ Mathematics & Statistics
This is the fourth in a series of stories profiling the winners.
IT specialist turned Communication Studies instructor says students teach him through stories and experiences
UWL alumnus Terry Smith says becoming a teacher changed his life. What he likes most about it is spending time with people who are “energetic and genuine.”
“The students in the classroom and my colleagues throughout UWL make me smile … and when I start smiling, I can share that joy through teaching. I also love the time I get with the students before class, in the halls, and around campus. They teach me so much when we share stories and experiences,” he says. “I get to have fun, learn new things, meet new people, and make a positive impact on a daily basis.”
Smith received his undergraduate degree from UWL in English in 1998 and has worked at UWL in various capacities since 1995. He was a media specialist in UWL’s Information Technology Services starting in 2000. He started teaching part-time in 2007 and dedicated his life to being a full-time instructor in fall 2011.
He teaches primarily CST 110: Communicating Effectively. He has also taught other classes including CST 210: Presentational Speaking and CST 271: Media and Society. He has also served as director of UWL’s Public Speaker Center and as an academic advisor. This summer he is also co-leading a study abroad trip to Cape Town, South Africa.