Two St. Cloud State University professors were honored with excellence in teaching awards from the Minnesota State system.
Dr. Janet Tilstra
Dr. Janet Tilstra, from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and Dr. Paul Neiman, from the Department of Philosophy were recognized for the 2020 Board of Trustees Awards for Excellence in Teaching at the board meeting April 22. They were nominated by St. Cloud State President Robbyn Wacker.
“Dr. Neiman has made teaching and learning, the creation of student-centered, engaging, inclusive classrooms the focus of both his professional development and his scholarly activity,” Wacker said in her nomination. “He engages in a continuous process of experimenting with new teaching strategies and course materials.”
Neiman is dedicated to recognizing the lack of diversity typical in the field of Philosophy and strives to integrate non-western, non-male perspectives into his classroom. He also organizes “Talking About Teaching” sessions to share ideas, questions and teaching strategies with his colleagues and has served on St. Cloud State’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning Advisory Committee since 2016.
Tilstra has been a leader in incorporating innovative practices into her teaching. She is also an advocate for inclusivity and has incorporated diversity into her teaching and activities in the classroom and community.
Dr. Paul Neiman
“She is student-centered and invests a substantial amount of time in supporting and encouraging her students to go above and beyond their learning in the classroom,” Wacker said in her nomination. “In addition, she works diligently to empower her students by preparing them to enter a workplace with diverse clients, as well as helping them to navigate the responsibilities they will have as they work with parents and communities.”
The Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities recognized seven individuals in total from across the system for the excellence award and an additional service faculty member for the Excellence in University Service Award.
These awards acknowledge and reward exceptional professional accomplishment, encourage ongoing excellence in teaching and take pride in the accomplishment of faculty who provide instruction that prepares Minnesota college and university students for their professional, scholarly and civic lives, according to a statement from the Board.
Additionally, St. Cloud State professors Dr. Hiral Shah, Engineering Management program; Dr. Nathan Bruender, Department of Chemistry; and Dr. Rob Galler, Department of History, were also nominated for Excellence in Teaching awards and were recognized as Outstanding Educators.
St. Cloud State’s Director of the Medical Clinic and Pharmacy Corie Beckermann was nominated for an Excellence in Service award and was recognized as an Outstanding Service Faculty Member.
These awards are conferred annually to college and university teaching faculty and university administrative service faculty to acknowledge and provide system-wide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement and to encourage the ongoing pursuit of excellence.
