Award Recipients

 

Honors Tutorial College announces HTC Honorary Alumnus Award Winner

ATHENS, Ohio – The Honors Tutorial College recently has announced that Dr. David Keck is the newest recipient of the HTC Honorary Alumnus Award. This award was created to recognize individuals whose contributions to the HTC and Ohio University set them apart. This award is not conferred every year, but only when an outstanding candidate can be brought to the HTC Board of Visitors for consideration.

Dr. Keck’s long-term association with the Honors Tutorial College made him a worthy recipient for this award. For over twenty years, he has served as the Director of Studies for the HTC Mathematics program of study.

HTC Dean Ann Fidler said of Dr. Keck: “There is little general public understanding of what it means to undertake the type of mathematical studies that the HTC program is built around. But despite the difficulties inherent in recruiting and training students in this field, your work as a Director of Studies has been consistently of the high caliber.”

It is a requirement of the Honors Tutorial College that faculty tutors meet with students at least once per week for a tutorial. Dr. Keck has far exceeded what has been asked of him as a tutor; he meets with beginning students three to four times a week.

Dr. Keck’s students have described his tutorials as very challenging but also highly enjoyable. “He has a wonderful way of relating to students with his sense of humor and the enthusiasm he possesses for his discipline,” noted Dean Fidler.

HTC Mathematics students agree with Dean Fidler. HTC student Liz Nalepa said, “As a math major, Dr. Keck has had an enormous impact on my student life here at OU; Dr. Keck is always encouraging to me in all my various pursuits.”

She added that he has a wonderful sense of humor that keeps his students from becoming discouraged with the difficul work that HTC Mathematics students must complete in his tutorials.

Nalepa’s father was an HTC student of Dr. Keck’s, too. Nalepa said, “I know now exactly why Dr. Keck earned such high praise from him.

”He is kind, caring, patient, and always ready to spend extra time with a student.”

 

Faculty Tutors Receive First N. Victor Goodman Honors Tutorial College Awards

ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio University has awarded two faculty tutors with the first ever N. Victor Goodman Honors Tutorial College Awards. This new award, created by the HTC Board of Visitors in 2005, is given to faculty during their first three years of tutoring HTC students. This year’s recipients are Michelle Brown, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Shelley Delaney, assistant professor in the School of Theater. Each will receive a modest cash prize and a letter of commendation from HTC Dean Ann Fidler.

Honors Tutorial College announces outstanding tutors

ATHENS, Ohio (June 26, 2006) -- The Honors Tutorial College recently announced its outstanding tutors for the 2005-06 academic year. Dr. David Young, Chemistry, and Dr. Thomas Carpenter, Classics and World Religions, received the honors.

Outstanding Tutor Awards recognize sustained excellence in tutorial work. Tutorials are the distinguishing educational element of the Honors Tutorial College as students undertake a substantial portion of their coursework either one-on-one or in small groups with faculty tutors. Several factors that go into the selection of an awardee include student nominations, evaluations of tutorials, number of tutorials taught and observations by colleagues and HTC administrators.

"The Honors Tutorial College cannot achieve its unique educational mission without the contributions of faculty members of [this] caliber," Fidler said.

Dr. Young has long been praised by HTC Chemistry students for his tutorial work. Students consistently point to the quality of his tutoring and the enjoyment they experience in working with him.

"Over the years of [Dr. Young's] association with the Honors Tutorial College, he has been a major contributor to the education of HTC Chemistry students," Fidler said. "He has been an energetic tutor, and a careful and dedicated thesis director."

HTC students and administrators alike also have praised Dr. Carpenter, Classics and World Religions. Students described Carpenter as "very distinguished, humble and approachable."

One student's nomination said, "He demonstrates how effective and inspiring a tutorial can be. He is always friendly, but nonetheless professional and knowledgeable in his material. His teaching skills are excellent in the sense that he was never spoon-feeding me, but he patiently directed me to a certain realm of thinking."

Young and Carpenter will be honored at a dinner at the Konneker Alumni Center in October and with a photograph on the HTC "Wall of Fame" at 35 Park Place.

Honors Tutorial College announces Distinguished Mentor Award winners

ATHENS, Ohio (June 19, 2006) – The Honors Tutorial College recently announced the Distinguished Mentor Awards for the 2005-06 academic school year. Dr. Jaclyn Maxwell, History, Dr. Lysa Burnier, Political Science, Dr. Darlene Berryman, Human and Consumer Sciences, and Dr. Kathleen Sullivan, Political Science were chosen as distinguished mentors.

Distinguished Mentor Awards are given to faculty tutors whose work as a thesis director results in a notable HTC thesis and the creation of an exception mentoring relationship. The award is both a form of thanks and an acknowledgement to distinguished tutors.

To be eligible for the award, an Honors Tutorial College student must nominate his or her thesis advisor. The quality of each student’s submitted thesis also aids selection of distinguished mentors.

Dr. Jaclyn Maxwell served as the thesis advisor for student Andrew Connor. Connor noted Dr.
Maxwell’s kind professionalism that struck the difficult balance between encouraging creativity and maintaining pragmatism. Andrew said, “Dr. Maxwell did everything that she could to get me where I needed to be to do my research and writing. The level of support she provided was uniformly high and dates back before the thesis work per se.” During Connor’s thesis writing, Dr. Maxwell gave birth and had to stay with her child in Columbus. Yet she still took time to give comments and help Connor write the best thesis possible. Connor said he will use the skills Dr. Maxwell taught him as he begins his graduate work in Ancient History at the University of Cincinnati next year.

Dr. Lysa Burnier acted as the thesis advisor for Will Miller. Under Dr. Burnier’s guidance, Miller
completed a dual B.A./M.A. thesis. In his nomination form, Miller wrote of the genuine interest and skillful guidance with which Dr. Burnier provided him. Miller said that what especially makes Dr. Burnier a distinguished mentor is that she is someone who he has worked with continually over his four years at Ohio University, and she has guided him from the Winter Quarter of his freshman year to his finished M.A. thesis in only four short years. Miller will attend The Bliss Center of Applied Politics at the University of Akron for graduate work.

Dr. Darlene Berryman served as the thesis advisor for Anne Valente. Valente noted in her nomination form that Dr. Berryman is efficient, thorough, highly intelligent, productive and passionate. While awaiting reply from medical schools, Valente plans to intern in Washington D.C. this summer and spend a year off volunteering in public health in Central America.

Dr. Kathleen Sullivan, thesis advisor for Clarissa Kornell, was instrumental in Kornell’s thesis. In her nomination form, Kornell wrote about the guidance and encouragement Dr. Sullivan gave her. Kornell said, “The most valuable thing that I have learned from working with my thesis director is that learning is an ongoing process of exploration that both requires and rewards an open mind. Whether working on formal scholarship or simply living life, Dr. Sullivan has taught me that openness to ideas and to challenges is the best quality a person can have.” As a result of Dr. Sullivan’s mentoring, Kornell will carry the skills and confidence needed to continue her intellectual development in her Fulbright research in Indonesia.