CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE Colin Jackson and Diana Ginn receive Schulich Law’s top teaching awards Teaching is at the heart of Schulich Law’s mission. We are known for our committed professors who give students an outstanding legal education, while making them feel welcome and supported in our close-knit, collegial community. The winners of this year’s teaching awards are truly an inspiration to our students.
DALHOUSIE LAW ALUMNI TEACHING AWARD – PROFESSOR COLIN JACKSON
HANNAH AND HAROLD BARNETT EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARD – PROFESSOR DIANA GINN
This award is given in recognition and appreciation of excellence in teaching demonstrated by enthusiasm, commitment, dedication and outstanding service to students. Nominations are made by current law students and a recipient is selected in consultation with two representatives from the Dalhousie Law Alumni Association.
The Hannah and Harold Barnett Excellence in Teaching Award is given by the Law Students’ Society to recognize a professor who teaches first-year law. Each first-year section collectively puts forward a nomination, and a winner is chosen by the Teaching Awards committee, chaired by the LSS Vice-President Academic. This is Professor Ginn’s fourth time receiving the award - she was previously recognized in 2005, 2012 and 2014.
Professor Colin Jackson (LLM ’13, PhD ’20) has been on both sides of the classroom at Schulich Law, and it shows in the empathy and concern he has for his students. He became a Professor in 2018, and in 2019 he was one of the inaugural recipients of the Class of 1967 Award for Innovation in Teaching. “I’m thankful everyday to get to come to work and teach brilliant, thoughtful, curious law students in a building that’s jam-packed with incredible teachers who I admire,” says Jackson. “Schulich Law has always been a place that’s committed to excellent and innovative teaching, so to be recognized for teaching here is an incredible honour.”
“Professor Ginn always goes above and beyond to make sure that our class is understanding the course material,” says nominator Madison Ranta. “Whether it’s going over some practice questions together in class after a particularly tricky topic or encouraging students to submit their answers to old exam questions to her for personalized feedback, she is open to working with students to improve their grasp on property law. You can tell that she empathizes with first year law students and wants to do her best to make us feel at home at Dal.”
Professor Ginn’s response to receiving the award is evidence of her caring approach. “I love teaching, and am very grateful to Third-year student Maggie Day says she nominated professor be recognized for something that I enjoy so much,” says Ginn. Jackson because he really cares about his students. “He changes “Interacting with students is always the highlight of my job, and up each of his lessons so that we can learn the material in of course this spring, my thoughts were with all our students, as different ways. This helps keep me engaged with the material the academic year ended so differently than expected.” and remember it come exam time. He also makes great jokes and keeps things light and fun. He is super excited to teach all SOCIETY OF THE YEAR AND THINK TANK AWARD of the classes he teaches which makes me more eager to learn.” Our annual teaching awards event also recognizes the student Professor Jackson’s other nominator, third-year student Jenna society of the year and the winner of the Dalhousie Journal Shaddock adds, “He cares about our understanding more than of Legal Studies (DJLS) Think Tank Award. This year, three anything and is selfless with his time. Without the individual student societies tied for the top prize: the Dalhousie Feminist help he provided me I would not have gone into my exams so Legal Assoication (DFLA), the Dalhousie Black Law Students’ confidently.” Association (DBLSA) and the Dalhousie Indigenous Law Students’ Association (DILSA). Second-year student Maria Rizzetto received the DJLS Think Tank award for her project “Defective Umbrella? Examining non-consensual intimate image sharing within court reasoning.” 10
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