University President Dave Frohnmayer surprised three outstanding professors Thursday by awarding them the 1999-2000 Thomas F. Herman Faculty Achievement Awards for Distinguished Teaching.
Rob Proudfoot, associate professor of international studies, and Madonna Moss and Jon Erlandson, associate professors of anthropology, were honored in their classrooms where Frohnmayer presented them with crystal apples.
The winners, who receive a $2,000 addition to their base salaries, were selected from recommendations of colleagues and students.
Moss and Erlandson are the first husband and wife to win the award, though they were selected based on individual merit, said Pauline Austin, a University communications officer.
Lorraine Davis, University vice-provost for academic affairs, orchestrated the presentation of the awards so Moss and Erlandson knew the other was to receive an award but didn’t know they were going to receive one themselves. Moss was asked to be present in Erlandson’s classroom to share in her husband’s award, but much to her surprise, Frohnmayer produced another crystal apple.
Moss said she is often criticized by students for being too hard of a grader and too demanding, but the award showed her that the number of students who appreciate her rigorous syllabi outweighs the number who think otherwise.
Moss went on to praise the entire instructional faculty on this campus and lament the fact that all of her colleagues couldn’t be recognized and compensated fairly for their efforts.
“There is a very large number of outstanding teaching faculty who put tremendous energy and passion into their teaching,” she said. “I wish everybody could be compensated fairly for the work that they do.”
The husband and wife team is credited with attracting more Native American students to graduate programs within the department. They have been teaching at the University since 1990.
Erlandson specializes in Native American archaeology and has received two similar awards for mentoring and scholarship in arts and sciences.
Moss was also lauded for her mentorship, boasting one of the longest lists of graduate students in her department.
Proudfoot is no stranger to teaching awards. In 1989 he was awarded the University’s 1989 Ersted Award for Excellence in teaching, an award similar to the Herman Award, but for junior professors. He has also been recognized by the Indian Education Association and as the Outstanding Multicultural Educator in 1989, 1992 and 1996.
Award winners will be honored at spring commencement.