Faculty Awards celebrate excellence

T-E-A-C-H-E-R. This was the first word that Helen Keller, famed deafblind American author, lecturer and political activist learned from her own brilliant teacher, Anne Sullivan, who spelled the word onto Keller's palm - and opened a floodgate.

That incredible breakthrough in communication allowed Keller to push aside her disabilities to become the first person with deafblindness to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree and go on to a fully-realised, productive life and career. But it was the imagination and determination of Sullivan that opened up her world.

So, too, do teachers everywhere open up worlds of knowledge for students and have an impact far beyond our wildest imaginings. One such educator is this year's faculty teaching excellence award winner, Dr. Nancy Spencer-Cavaliere. Students gave full marks to this outstanding educator for excellent course materials, fairness, warmth and enthusiasm and a respectful teaching environment. One student remarked, "Dr. Spencer-Cavaliere is one of my best teachers. She takes the time to explain things thoroughly and she really encourages us to explore and share our own ideas and examine them critically."

The excellence in sessional teaching award was presented to faculty lecturer Dr. Joanna Auger, an outstanding educator who has made a tremendous impact on the classroom since joining the faculty. Auger is also a doctoral alumna of the faculty.

Graduate student teaching awards are decided by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, and these were awarded to doctoral students Lara Fenton and Luke Jones for outstanding undergraduate teaching.

Like teachers, coaches are also guides and educators, encouraging and laying the groundwork for student-athletes to excel. Rob Krepps, head coach of the Golden Bears and Pandas, was awarded the coaching excellence honour this year. Krepps's coaching excellence led the Golden Bears curling team to victory at the CIS/CCA championships this year. He is a sought-after consultant on both junior and senior national teams and known as one of Canada's premier coaches of this revered "Sport of the Scots."

Dr. Kerry Courneya, Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Cancer, was a second time winner of the research excellence award for an outstanding year in which he authored or co-authored 26 papers, currently has 10 papers in press, co-edited a book on physical activity and cancer, and saw the renewal of his CRC - a most prestigious honour for a researcher.

Two outstanding Service/Administration Awards were announced this year: one to administrative assistant Leanne Baudistel for excellence in administration in her service of the Associate Dean, Research office, and to associate director, Campus Recreation, Joy Chikinda, who stepped in to the director's role when Leah Hall Dorothy suddenly had to take compassionate leave last year. Chikinda put her master's studies aside, and willingly shouldered the additional workload, which included additional, unexpected teaching duties, to keep the unit flowing and programs running smoothly for Campus Rec's 30,000-plus clients across campus and the community.

The Dr. Dan Syrotuik Core Values Award was presented to Alex Game. As laboratory coordinator for the Exercise Physiology Lab, Game fills an invaluable role in not only managing the lab but also mentoring students, and contributing to research and publications. Game, who serves as the strength and conditioning coach for Pandas' rugby - a game he plays avidly himself - is also active in the fitness community, where he chairs the Canadian Association of Exercise Physiology and is an examiner for fitness appraisal and personal training certifications within the organization.

And finally: While the faculty chooses an award-winner in each of these categories each year, there is not a person among this large and diverse faculty who does not contribute immeasurably to the overall good of the faculty, whether in the realms of teaching and research, coaching, service or administration.