Faculty and Graduate Student Awards

Teaching is a critical part of the mission of the College of Arts and Science. Every year, we recognize our faculty and graduate students for exceptional innovation and dedication to teaching and mentoring.

Annual Teaching and Mentoring Awards

Each academic year, at a faculty meeting during the fall semester, the professors and administrators of the College of Arts and Science recognize excellence in teaching and mentoring within the Arts and Science community. The awards listed here are an important part of the Arts and Science tradition, and the lists of recipients below contain the names of some of the most distinguished and beloved professors, instructors, and mentors in the history of Vanderbilt.

The Jeffrey Nordhaus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

The Jeffrey Nordhaus Award was established in 1982 by a gift from Katherine Stumb Nordhaus and George Nordhaus in memory of their son, Jeffrey, victim of an airplane crash in 1979. George Nordhaus, Jeffrey's father, is a 1955 Vanderbilt University graduate.

The awards recognize Arts and Science faculty who have excelled in teaching undergraduates. Nominations are reviewed and ranked by student members of Phi Beta Kappa, after which the dean selects a winner. Each winner receives award money and an engraved Mississippi Julep pewter cup.

In 2004 the Jeffrey Nordhaus Award was expanded by the Nordhaus family to recognize excellence in teaching within each of the three main areas of Arts and Science--the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences.

2024 award winners:

• Jared Nordman (Biological Sciences)
• Analisa Packham (Economics)
• Tasha Rijke-Epstein (History)

The Harriet S. Gilliam Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Lecturer or Senior Lecturer

The Gilliam Award was established in 1995 in memory of Harriet S. Gilliam, B.A., 1966. The award recognizes a continuing-track faculty member on a full-time, multi-year contract who has achieved excellence in teaching undergraduates. Candidates must have taught at least five semesters. Nominations are reviewed and ranked by student members of Phi Beta Kappa, after which the dean selects a winner. The award winner receives a cash award and an engraved Mississippi Julep pewter cup.

2024 award winners:

• Cynthia Brame (Biological Sciences)
• Katherine Carroll (Political Science)
• Jason Harris (Classical & Mediterranean Studies)

Faculty Adviser Awards

These awards honor faculty for dedication to undergraduate advising. Recipients are chosen by a vote of graduating seniors, with one winner selected from each academic division in the College of Arts and Science: humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Each winner receives a cash award and an engraved Mississippi Julep pewter cup.

The Ernest A. Jones Award was established in 1978 by a grateful parent in recognition of the excellent academic advice his son received from Professor Ernest A. Jones of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. In 2019, the award was specialized to recognize advising in math and the natural sciences, and Dean John Geer established dedicated awards for the divisions of humanities and social sciences.

2024 award winners:

• Meredyth Wegener, Ernest A. Jones Award (Neuroscience)
  
• Kent Dolezal (Economics)
• Xianmin Liu (Asian Studies)

The Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award

Established in 1985, this award is given each year for exceptionally effective classroom and/or laboratory instruction by a graduate teaching assistant. The Committee on Graduate Education selects an award winner from departmental nominations. The winner receives a cash prize and an engraved plaque.

2024 award winner:

• Jordan Gunn (Psychology)

The Outstanding Graduate Student Teaching Award

This annual award was established in 2013 to recognize exceptionally effective teaching by a graduate student instructor of record. The Committee on Graduate Education selects an award winner from departmental nominations. The winner receives a cash prize and an engraved plaque.

2024 award winners:

• Maya Krause (Anthropology)
• Vladislav Lilic (History)

Award for Excellence in Teaching in a World Language

This award recognizes graduate students for excellence in foreign language teaching. Co-sponsored by the Vanderbilt Center for Second Language Studies, it is granted to graduate students with full responsibility for language classes. The Committee on Graduate Education selects an award winner from departmental nominations. The winner receives a cash prize and an engraved plaque.

Outstanding Graduate Student Lab Instructor Award

This award recognizes excellence in laboratory instruction. It is awarded to graduate students who teach laboratory sections in science classes. The Committee on Graduate Education selects an award winner from departmental nominations. The winner receives a cash prize and an engraved plaque.

2024 award winner:

• Nadir Dbouk (Biological Sciences)

The Award for Excellence in Graduate Mentoring

The Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching

The Alumni Outstanding Freshman Advisor Award

This award was established in 1983 to honor faculty members for their commitment to advising students during their first two years in the College of Arts and Science. The recipient of the award is chosen on the basis of information provided by freshmen in evaluations submitted during the spring semester. Each winner receives a cash prize and an engraved Mississippi Julep pewter cup

Return to top