At the Top of Their Game
Six University of Kentucky professors have been recognized for their excellence in the classroom as recipients of the UK Alumni Association's 2009 Great Teacher Awards. The 2009 recipients are Margaret Bausch, Allison Connelly, Lorraine Garkovich, Robert Schwemm, William Silvia and Mark Summers.
Started in 1961, the Great Teacher Award is the oldest continuous UK award that recognizes excellence in teaching. Only UK students may nominate a teacher for this prestigious award. To date, 241 faculty members have been honored. Selection of the award recipients is made by the UK Alumni Association Great Teacher Award Committee, in cooperation with the student organization Omicron Delta Kappa. Great Teacher Award recipients each receive a citation, an engraved plaque and a cash award.
Candidates must:
- Hold the rank of assistant professor or above and have been a member of the UK faculty for the past three years.
- Have superior knowledge of their subject matter.
- Have original and innovative classroom presentations.
- Demonstrate concern for students, both inside and outside the University setting.
- Not have been a recipient of this award for the past 10 years.
Margaret Bausch is an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling in the UK College of Education. Since joining the faculty in 2004, she has worked in assistive technology research and in training programs in special education technology.
Allison Connelly is an associate clinical professor in the UK College of Law. She joined the faculty in 1996 as the first director of the college’s legal clinic. Previously, she spent 13 years as a state public defender providing direct representation, including death penalty representation, to needy individuals at all levels of the criminal justice system.
Lorraine Garkovich is a professor and state Extension specialist in the Department of Community Leadership and Development in the UK College of Agriculture. She has been at UK since 1976. Her research focuses on community and organizational change, and land use issues. She holds the position of Provost’s Distinguished Service Professor.
Robert Schwemm is the Ashland-Spears Professor in the UK College of Law. He has taught in the college since 1975 and served as acting dean 1998-99. Schwemm is the only three-time winner of the college’s Duncan Award for Outstanding Teaching. He currently is a visiting professor at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Ill.
William Silvia joined the Department of Animal and Food Sciences in the UK College of Agriculture in 1985. He currently serves as coordinator of the dairy section and faculty supervisor of UK’s Coldstream Dairy Farm and as chairman of the Department of Animal and Food Sciences Curriculum Committee.
Mark Summers is a professor in the Department of History in the UK College of Arts and Sciences. Prior to joining the UK faculty in 1984, he was an instructor at the University of Georgia and Loyola Marymount University. His current research includes a study of Gilded Age politics and the Andrew Johnson impeachment.
