Students and colleagues of 丽塔莱斯特 say the religion professor is known for her rigorous courses. 在同一呼吸中, they’re quick to point out that her courses are so intriguing and engaging that students want to come back for more.
“It is one thing to teach information, but it is really something else to inspire,一位北吴大学的大三学生写道.
莱斯特’s ability to teach and challenge students to analyze religion, advise majors and non-majors, continually improve her teaching styles, help with prestigious scholarship applications, and go above and beyond her job description has landed her the 2010-2011 Margaret J. Prouty Faculty Teaching Award.
The honor is bestowed each year to a professor who:
- Communicates high expectations;
- Encourages intellectual curiosity within and across disciplines;
- Inspires students to do their best work;
- 对学生负责;
- 在课堂上与学生互动;
- Encourages cooperation among students;
- Respects diverse talents and ways of learning;
- Encourages faculty-student contact;
- 在教学中运用多样性.
In nominating 莱斯特 for the award, several religion majors said they were inspired by her to become a religion major noting her engaging teaching style and her ability to make students feel comfortable while discussing and analyzing religion. Students also commended her for exploring options for them beyond the classroom including unique study abroad opportunities.
“She opened up opportunities to me that never would have been made available to me without her guidance,” said a religion major who nominated 莱斯特.
Non-majors also commended 莱斯特 for her ability to teach a difficult subject and make it digestible to even the most religiously close-minded students. One student nominator admitted she was worried about taking 莱斯特’s World Religions course.
“I was scared that I would get a professor who was atheist or would change my mind about being Christian,”她说。. “What I thought was going to be an awful class turned into one of the best I have ever taken.”
莱斯特 has taught at Nebraska Wesleyan since 1998. Last year she was one of 12 professors in the nation selected to attend the “Teaching About Islam and Middle Eastern Culture” seminar in Jordan. She spent 2007 on sabbatical in Toronto where she studied and conducted research at the Encounter World Religions Centre. In addition to undergraduate courses, 莱斯特 teaches religious diversity in Nebraska Wesleyan’s Master of Arts in Historical Studies Program. She served as Fulbright Program Adviser in 2009-2010 and continues to serve on the Fulbright Selection Committee.
Colleagues who nominated 莱斯特 for the Prouty Award celebrated her ability to stretch students’ minds, stay current on best teaching methods, her countless hours spent helping students with their prestigious scholarship applications, and work with students outside of the classroom. 例如, 莱斯特 is currently giving Arabic lessons to a religion major who hopes to better understand the Quran.
“This isn’t part of her job description, but if a student is interested and motivated, I do not think there is a limit to the time and effort Dr. 莱斯特 is willing to expend to improve student learning,” said a nominator.
莱斯特 was presented the Prouty Faculty Teaching Award during the May faculty meeting. 往届获奖者包括:
- Frank Ferraro, psychology, 2009-2010
- Gary Plank, forensic science, 2008-2009
- Dale Benham, biology, 2007-2008
- Bill McNeil, psychology, 2006-2007
- Jay Chipman, theatre, 2005-2006