FOUNDATION
Foundation Applauds Excellence in Teaching
Congratulations to the professors nominated for this year’s Professor of the Year Award. Every professor wins, as the Foundation grants each chapter’s nominees $100. Finalists for the 2000 International Professor of the Year Award: Dr. Steven W. Keller, assistant professor of chemistry, University of Missouri. Nominated by Omicron chapter. Dr. David Luechauer, associate professor and leadership area coordinator, College of Business Administration, Butler University. Nominated by Epsilon Beta chapter. Dr. William C. St. John, Jr., clinical assistant professor, Lally School of Management and Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Nominated by Theta Tau chapter. Dr. Donald R. Rinehart, professor of religion, Ashland University. Nominated by Epsilon Alpha chapter. The Foundation extends heartfelt thanks to final round judges: Pamela Haunschild, associate professor, Stanford Graduate School of Business Charlene Smeltzer Lugar (BK-Denison), philanthropist John Lewis Ford, dean of students, Cornell University …And to the first-round judges: Dr. Kirby Barrick, associate dean, academic programs, University of Illinois Rebecca Carlton (ZE-Indiana U. Southeast), professor, Sullivan College, Ind. Dr. Joanne Chopak (BN-Delaware), assistant professor, Georgia Southern University Dr. Joan Hochschild (B-Northwestern), superintendent of schools, Wilmette, Ill. Katherine Tanis (ΘN-Appalachian State), Greek advisor, Vanderbilt University, Tenn. Dr. Robert West, assistant professor, Villanova University, Pa. Dr. Tasha Souza (BΨ-San Jose State), University of Wisconsin Sandra Simodi Metes (BO-Bowling Green State), dean of education, Notre Dame College, N.H.
H E A R TFELT GIVING
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The Foundation’s Annual Report of Donors was mailed in November. If you want a copy, please call 847.475.4532 or e-mail foundation@alphaphi.org.
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Dr. Stanley Trent loves teaching. His dedication earned for him the Alpha Phi Foundation 2000 International Professor of the Year award and a $2,100 grant from the Foundation. “I am passionate about teaching. I gain much satisfaction from engaging in this enterprise, from mutually constructing knowledge and from building a learning community with individuals. I try to help my students feel what it means to be a good teacher,” says Dr. Trent. An associate professor in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, Dr. Trent taught Janna Glover and Melissa Neuner (both FI -Virginia) in a class entitled The Exceptional Child in Sociocultural Perspective. Janna and Melissa share the $250 award for nominating the winner. “He significantly influenced the way we think about teaching, and he has inspired us to become lifelong learners,” Janna and Melissa say. Inspirational describes Dr. Trent’s classroom Dr. Stanley Trent style, according to the collegians. Classes begin with “power jams,” where students use poetry or music to inspire the class. Each week students write via e-mail a “dialogue journal” to Dr. Trent. He then responds to each student and includes in lectures the concepts discussed. It is this individual attention that encouraged Janna and Melissa to nominate Dr. Trent. “Professor Trent made a conscious effort to help us apply knowledge to our own lives and our developing teaching styles. It’s evident that he sincerely cares about each one of us. He has an open door policy and is easily approachable,” Janna and Melissa say. Accepting the Professor of the Year award, Dr. Trent expresses his gratitude to these students. “I am most honored because I was nominated by my students, members of the Zeta Iota chapter at the University of Virginia,” he says. The Foundation makes two additional grants as part of its Professor of the Year program: one of $250 to Zeta Iota chapter for nominating the winner and another of $1,000 to the University of Virginia for its scholarship fund. Zeta Iota urges all Alpha Phi collegiate chapters to nominate a professor for the award. The deadline for the 2001 contest is April 15. Call Foundation Development Associate Marci Medwed (B-Northwestern) for a nomination form at 847.475.4532 or check with your chapter president for details. You also can download forms from the Web site: www.alphaphi.org.
ALPHA PHI
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