Beth Loffreda Honored for Excellent Teaching |
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May 3, 2006 -- Beth Loffreda, associate professor in the Department of English, is among eight University of Wyoming faculty members selected to receive the John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award.
The other recipients are; Daniel Dale, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy; Gary Fleischman, associate professor in the Department of Accounting; Jayne Jenkins, associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health; John Kambutu, assistant professor of education at the UW/Casper College Center; Patricia McLean, associate lecturer in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages; Debra Parkinson, assistant professor in the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education; and Leigh Selting, professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance.
The awards are made possible by a fund established by Ellbogen to "foster, encourage and reward excellence in classroom teaching at UW." Winners are selected from a list nominated by students, and the awards are based entirely on classroom performance and helpfulness to students. A native of Worland, Ellbogen established an endowment for teaching awards in appreciation for his family and state's encouragement of education.
Over and over, students say that Loffreda has been a positive force in their lives, both inside and outside the classroom.
Since coming to UW, Loffreda has compiled a record of consistently excellent teaching and built a reputation as one of the finest teachers on campus. She has taught diverse classes ranging from African American Literature to Harlem Renaissance and Hollywood Cinema. She came to UW in 1998 as an assistant professor of English and adjunct professor women's studies, after serving on the faculties at Iowa State University and at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.
"She calls on her students to live up to their highest intellectual and ethical potential; she shows them how they might answer that high call, and she herself exemplifies the standards she asks her students to meet," writes Susan Frye, professor and chair of the UW Department of English. "She treats our students with respect, listening to what they have to say, introducing them to new realms of thought, and challenging them to reach their highest intellectual potential."
Students find her utterly engaging, returning to her classes time and again for academic stimulation. Through her high-profile academic publishing and her committed service work on campus, she has been a wonderful role model for students at every stage of their education.
Student evaluations testify to Loffreda's outstanding teaching. Typical comments in undergraduate course evaluations focus on the impact she has had on the intellectual growth of her students: "Dr. Loffreda inspired students to do their best work based upon the example she sets for us in class"; "Classes with her are always challenging, engaging and fun."
Graduate students in the Department of English write that taking Loffreda's classes profoundly shaped their sense of their own potential. "Many of us who took Beth's class will always remember it as a place where our intellectual boundaries grew and we discovered new ideas about ourselves," a student wrote.
In addition to her excellence in the classroom, Loffreda is a tireless mentor for students, meeting with them individually to workshop their applications for graduate school, beating the bushes to secure funding for conference travel or graduate study, of just taking the time to talk with them about their career options of personal struggles.
Her power as a teacher also comes from her ethical commitment to make the UW campus an equitable place as possible. She has advised the LGBTA on how to get the resources it needs, she helped to write the university's sexual harassment policy and she is working on revising UW's partner benefits procedures.
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Beth Loffreda Posted on Wednesday, May 03, 2006
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