The winners, selected from 677 nominations, represent “the best of what Carolina has to offer,” campus leaders said. Many of the winners are from the College of Arts and Sciences.
Twenty-five Carolina faculty members and graduate teaching assistants have been recognized for their excellence with the 2024 University Teaching Awards.
Interim Chancellor Lee H. Roberts and Provost J. Christopher Clemens announced the winners Feb. 20, writing in a campus message, “this group of vibrant teachers and mentors represents the diversity of people and disciplines on our campus.”
The annual awards provide a chance to recognize outstanding teaching and mentoring of undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students. Faculty, staff, students and alumni nominate deserving teachers and mentors.
The Center for Faculty Excellence’s University Teaching Awards Committee reviews nominations each fall and gathers additional information before recommending a slate of winners to the chancellor. This year, the committee evaluated 677 nominations before selecting the following winners in nine categories.
Board of Governors’ Award for Excellence in Teaching
- Florence Dore, English and comparative literature department, College of Arts and Sciences.
Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement
- Lois Boynton, Hussman School of Journalism and Media.
Distinguished Teaching Awards for Post-Baccalaureate Instruction
- Sarah Dempsey, communication department, College of Arts and Sciences.
- Casey Rawson, School of Information and Library Science.
- Amanda Reid, Hussman School of Journalism and Media.
- Erianne Weight, exercise and sport science, College of Arts and Sciences.
Chapman Family Teaching Awards
- Anna Krome-Lukens, director of experiential education and public policy department, College of Arts and Sciences.
- Mariska Leunissen, philosophy department, College of Arts and Sciences.
- Michal Osterweil, global studies curriculum, College of Arts and Sciences.
- Isaac Unah, political science department, College of Arts and Sciences.
Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
- Luoyi Cai, Asian and Middle Eastern studies department, College of Arts and Sciences.
- Joshua Beaver, chemistry department, College of Arts and Sciences.
- Joseph Megel, communication department, College of Arts and Sciences.
- Suja Davis, School of Nursing.
- Rachel Willis, American studies department, College of Arts and Sciences.
William C. Friday Award for Excellence in Teaching
- Michael Waltman, communication department, College of Arts and Sciences.
J. Carlyle Sitterson Award for Teaching First-Year Students
- Bradley Hammer, English and comparative literature department, College of Arts and Sciences.
- Michael Palm, communication department, College of Arts and Sciences.
Johnston Teaching Excellence Awards
- Naji Husseini, biomedical engineering joint department, College of Arts and Sciences and NC State University College of Engineering.
- Lorna Aviles, Romance studies department, College of Arts and Sciences.
Tanner Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by Graduate Teaching Assistants
- Ling Beisecker, exercise and sport science department, College of Arts and Sciences.
- Courtney Blackington, political science department, College of Arts and Sciences.
- Santiago Gesteira, Romance studies department, College of Arts and Sciences.
- Karah Mitchell, English and comparative literature department, College of Arts and Sciences.
- Emanuele Stefanori, Romance studies department, College of Arts and Sciences.
More information about the winners can be found on the Teaching Awards website. Look for short Q&As with the honorees in The Well later this semester.