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Monday, April 23, 2001
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University Council takes up lengthy agenda at final meeting
Gwinnett University Center CEO to speak at Graduate School Commencement
Gorbachev accepts Delta Prize for Global Understanding
Service planned for deceased UGA faculty, staff, students
Honors & Awards: Research Awards
Honors & Awards: Russell Teaching Awards
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Honors & Awards: Meigs Teaching Awards |
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| Four of UGA’s outstanding teachers will receive the 2001 Josiah Meigs Awards for Excellence in Teaching at the Faculty Recognition Banquet at the Georgia Center the evening of April 26. Meigs winners receive a permanent salary increase of $6,000 and a fund of $1,000 for departmental use. The award is named for Josiah Meigs, who in 1801 succeeded Abraham Baldwin as president--and sole professor--of Georgia’s fledgling state university. |
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Michael A. Dirr
Professor of Horticulture |
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 There is nothing ordinary about Michael Dirr or his classes.
His distinguished teaching record at the university has spanned more than two decades. Each class is an experience his students rarely forget. He has been cited by students, co-workers and the horticulture industry for his passion and enthusiasm for his subject and his encyclopedic knowledge of woody ornamental plants.
“He is the most prolific horticultural writer of our time,” says Tim Smalley, associate professor of horticulture. “His Manual of Woody Landscape Plants is the most widely adopted horticultural textbook and is considered the ‘Bible’ by plantsmen.”
Dirr’s text, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, is used in more than 90 percent of landscape-materials classes taught in the United States. He has written six other books and authored or co-authored more than 50 scholarly research papers and more than 300 articles.
He is widely recognized as a pre-eminent expert in the landscape industry. He was instrumental in establishing the campus arboretum at UGA and in preparing materials for the “Walking Tour of Trees.”
Dirr’s extensive slide collection is used by encyclopedia companies and magazines, by nursery companies for their catalogs and by label companies for pictures for plant labels.
As technology changed, Dirr moved his materials to computer-based technology. Academics across the country use his teaching methods and testing procedures and model courses based on his classes.
What makes Dirr different is not just his vast knowledge of plants, but the way he plants the love of horticulture in each student who passes through his classroom. He is noted for his knowledge; he’s revered for his dedication to his students.
“Dr. Dirr brings to the classroom an unsurpassed enthusiasm for both teaching and life,” says former student Vickie Waters-Oldham. “He loves the students, and he enjoys molding students’ careers and lives. This is evident from the first day of class until the last day of class. He has the ability to motivate students to learn as no one else I have ever known.”
The recipient of more than 20 awards for teaching and research, Dirr has been recognized for his outstanding contributions to horticulture, both in and out of the classroom.
He won the 2000 D.W. Brooks Award for Excellence in Teaching and was the 1998 College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Outstanding Teacher. He also won the L.C. Chadwick Educator’s Award from the American Nursery and Landscape Association and the American Horticultural Society’s Teaching Award.
“I have been a member of numerous teaching award committees, and I have never seen a teaching résumé that doesn’t pale in comparison to Dr. Dirr’s,” Smalley says. “He has unparalleled, near-perfect evaluation scores in every category.”
It is his uncommon ability to teach complex texts in an inspiring way that leads students to say, “To sit through one of Dr. Dirr’s classes is to witness a magical combination of lecture, entertainment and interaction with students. I have never known a professor that can inspire and excite students like Dr. Dirr can.”
Or, “My life was forever changed when I entered Dr. Dirr’s classroom.”
In every way, Michael Dirr is simply extraordinary.
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Edward A. Azoff
Professor of Mathematics |
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Edward Azoff’s “mathematical humor” is remembered fondly by many students he has taught  during his 28 years at the University of Georgia--but what they remember best is his patience, his intelligence and his extraordinary gift for teaching.
Already winner of a Special Sandy Beaver Award, an Outstanding Honors Professor citation and a Senior Teaching Fellowship, Azoff has been at the heart of teaching in the department of mathematics, and his students now carry on his excitement for the field at colleges and universities all over America.
“One of the most striking aspects of Dr. Azoff’s classroom technique is the fact that he engages students so that they become partners in the learning process,” says Kevin Clancey, head of the mathematics department. “His weird sense of mathematical humor makes him approachable and at the same time ready for repartee in the classroom. Outside the classroom, he is simply amazing. If he is in his office, it is open to students.”
During his career at UGA, Azoff has taught 68 different courses while carrying on a rigorous research program in areas from operator theory to measurable dynamics. In addition, he has developed a number of courses over the years--courses that have become standard parts of the math curriculum.
Evaluations from students have been impressive, and comments from them show just how effective Azoff has been as a teacher.
One former student, now a math professor, says, “My success as a teacher is due in large part to Dr. Azoff’s teaching. I have been teaching in the style I learned from him. And I treat my students patiently and courteously as I learned from him.”
Another, who earned a master’s degree at UGA and is now teaching at a university, says, “It was obvious that Professor Azoff has a passion for doing mathematics and teaching mathematics. There was constant dialogue . . . [and] the atmosphere in his classroom was full of energy and conducive to learning. He was dedicated to his students.”
A third, who earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics at UGA and is now a professor of mathematics, also has high accolades. “Unlike any other instructor I have ever had,” he says, “Professor Azoff was able to push students toward perfection in way that was completely positive and encouraging.”
One former student, who now works in a high-profile software company, has similar comments. “Most of my accomplishments today are attributed directly to Dr. Azoff,” he says. “He not only assisted me in getting my degree, but he gave me the most important thing that all students need--confidence. Anyone can get up in front of a class and read from a book, but not many teachers can help students discover the beauty of the subject, especially mathematics.”
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P.T. Purinton
Professor of Anatomy and Radiology |
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Why a Meigs Award for Tom Purinton? His colleague, Dennis Aron, sums it up: because of  Purinton’s “understanding of his subject, passion and ability to instruct, development of effective and novel teaching methods, dedication to students, and unselfishness.”
Students, former students and faculty heartily agree that Purinton’s teaching is effective, innovative and inspiring. He does not merely dispense information but supercharges his students’ curiosity, sharpens their intellects, fuels their ambition to succeed and changes their lives. “Tom Purinton clearly is able to challenge students to go beyond memorization,” observes a colleague at Cornell University.
One of his former students puts it this way: “Dr. Purinton exemplifies all that I value about my alma mater. His enthusiasm for his subject, commitment to excellence, and desire to see his students learn significantly impacted me as a student and has continued to be an inspiration throughout my professional career.”
Purinton’s skills as “an inspirational and patient teacher” have been acknowledged numerous times. On seven different occasions students identified him as the best instructor in the first-year curriculum, honoring him with the Freshmen Faculty Recognition Award. Subsequently the College of Veterinary Medicine gave him its most prestigious teaching award, the Norden Award for Teaching Excellence.
“The most astonishing thing to me about his receiving these awards is the fact that his courses have the reputation of being very difficult,” the department head, Royce E. Roberts, points out. He believes this is due to “Dr. Purinton’s ability to teach a demanding but fair course and to convey to students his desire for their success.”
His Socratic teaching method accounts both for the difficulty and effectiveness of his courses. “On the first day of class, Dr. Purinton promised he would never answer one of our questions!” says a former student. “He led me to find the answer for myself. That skill has carried me through many a surgery.”
Another veterinary graduate agrees. “He would never give a student an easy answer. He reminded us that life yields very few easy answers, and that you learn more by finding the answers on your own.” Even his exams require students to observe, to study, and--most important--to think.
Research and service projects give Purinton additional opportunities for improving the college’s learning environment. He helped organize an interdepartmental teaching circle which gave faculty a venue for discussing teaching and learning methods. It also encouraged faculty to try new methods of engaging students in the learning process, and gave younger faculty members a chance to learn from more seasoned teachers.
In all, “he has been at the forefront,” Professor Emeritus John Munnell declares, “of the move in our college and elsewhere away from the didactic, lecture/laboratory methodology to highly student-centered active-learning protocols heavily involving advances in modern technology.”
Dean Keith W. Prasse credits Purinton with being one of three faculty members who committed enormous personal time and energy spearheading efforts to reform the curriculum. “The result of their work will be a renewed, revitalized curriculum in the fall of 2001,” Prasse says.
So why a Meigs Award? Because so many agree with Emeritus Professor Munnell, who says, “In more than 50 years of experience in and around higher education I have observed no one more deserving of recognition for teaching excellence than Tom Purinton.”
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Jere Morehead
Professor of Legal Studies and Associate Provost and Director of the Honors Program |
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In his 15 years teaching at UGA, Jere Morehead has attracted a following of students who are as  dedicated to him as sports fans are to their home team. They speak of him glowingly, they take classes just because he is the teacher, and they tell siblings and friends that college would not be complete without their mentor and friend, Jere Morehead.
Morehead’s distinction as a Meigs Award winner lies in his ability to connect with so many students in so many different ways--in the business school, the law school and now as director of the Honors Program. His students marvel at the many hours he spends with them outside of class.
“Professor Morehead sacrifices a huge amount of his personal time to work with students and there is no doubt that his efforts enrich the college experience,” says former student Mark Lewis.
In years past, the law school’s moot-court program has felt his dynamic presence. During his time as adviser, Morehead guided different moot-court teams to championships in every type of competition they entered.
“Professor Morehead went above and beyond his role as classroom teacher and taught the team equally about the necessities of teamwork, professionalism and courtesy as the basic elements of being a lawyer,” says Kellie Casey, a former student and current moot-court adviser at the School of Law.
Faculty colleagues praise his contribution to the development of the Peer Review of Teaching Project, a national initiative encouraging the use of new methods to evaluate instruction.
Ron Simpson, acting director of the Institute of Higher Education, says, “A real key to the program was Professor Morehead’s ability to listen carefully to his students and to benefit from their assessments and analyses.”
As associate provost, Morehead currently leads both the Honors Program and the Foundation Fellows Program. Last year, he launched the Honors Faculty Mentor Program, even assigning himself eight freshman students to mentor during their transition to college life.
Morehead’s genuine concern for his teaching and his students has not gone unnoticed. He has received awards or recognitions for his excellence as a teacher every year of his academic career.
Many of Morehead’s students refer to him as a mentor, even the ones who aren’t being guided through the mentor program. Other phrases consistently used to describe Morehead include “knowledgeable, prepared, caring and interested in students.”
Current student Toby Carr says, “He is a motivator, a mentor and a giver of sound advice and encouragement. He has a keen insight into human nature. He was meant to be a teacher--he is a master of it.”
Maybe it is his skills in the classroom that draw students to him--or possibly his caring attitude. Whatever the reason, students, faculty and colleagues alike praise him for stepping outside the classroom to have an impact on their lives.
Carr sums up his experience with Morehead, saying, “More than a teacher, he is a mentor and a friend. He taught me about law, he taught me about life.”
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