ΦBK Honors the 2009 U.S. Professors of the Year
The U.S. Professors of the Year who are also ΦBK members with Associate
Secretary Scott Lurding. L-R: Scott Lurding; Duane H. Pontius, Jr., Birmingham-
Southern College; Thomas Nickles, University of Nevada, Reno; Brian P. Coppola,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Angela B. Shiflet, Wofford College; Ron
Estler, Fort Lewis College; Andrew Samwick, Dartmouth College. ___________________________________________________________
Every fall, Phi Beta Kappa partners with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Carnegie Foundation in honoring the outstanding scholars and teachers selected as U.S. Professors of the Year.
This year's Capitol Hill reception, co-sponsored by ΦBK and CASE, was held November 19 at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. The honorees were greeted at the reception by ΦBK Associate Secretary Scott Lurding, where they mingled with members of the U.S. Congress and other guests.
"The Greek initials ΦBK represent the Society’s motto, 'love of learning is the guide of life,'" stated Lurding during his opening remarks. "Great teachers understand this profound idea and instill this love of learning in their students." The Professors of the Year program could not be a more worthy partner in the Society's efforts to advance excellence in higher education , he said.
Among the State and National U.S. Professors of the Year for 2009, the following are also ΦBK members:
Brian P. Coppola
Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Chemistry
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Ron Estler
Professor of Chemistry
Fort Lewis College
Thomas Nickles
Foundation Professor, Philosophy Department
University of Nevada, Reno
Duane H. Pontius Jr.
T. Morris Hackney Professor of Physics
Birmingham-Southern College
Ananya Roy
Professor of City and Regional Planning
University of California, Berkeley
Andrew Samwick
Professor of Economics and Director, Nelson A. Rockefeller Center
Dartmouth College
Angela B. Shiflet
Larry H. McCalla Professor of Mathematics & Computer Science
Chair, Computer Science Department
Wofford College
To read more about the winners on the CASE Web site, click here.
CASE and the Carnegie Foundation have been selecting the U.S. Professors of the Year since 1981. CASE assembles two preliminary panels of judges to select finalists. The Carnegie Foundation then convenes the third and final panel, which selects four national winners. CASE and Carnegie select state winners from top entries resulting from the judging process. The honorees are selected from faculty members nominated by colleges throughout the country.
TIAA-CREF, one of America's leading financial services organizations and higher education's premier retirement system, became the primary sponsor for the awards ceremony in 2000. Additional support for the program is received from a number of higher education associations, including Phi Beta Kappa.