Washington, DC -- Georgetown University has awarded three professors with the College Dean's Awards for Excellence in Teaching. Jane McAuliffe, Dean of Georgetown College, recognized Carol Ann Benedict, Associate Professor of History, Leona Fisher, Associate Professor of English, and Angel C. de Dios, Associate Professor of Chemistry, as part of the College Faculty Convocation on January 24.

"These awards are an opportunity for us to honor our very best colleagues for doing what they do so well," said McAuliffe. "We honor these professors for their commitment to the mission of the University, and most of all, for their commitment to the students they teach."

This year's winners are:
Carol Ann Benedict, Associate Professor of History
In addition to teaching in the History department, Professor Benedict is a core faculty member in Georgetown's School of Foreign Service. She is an expert in China and its history and teaches courses on East Asia, society and culture in China, and global perspectives on international history. She is the author of several articles on the history of China and studies tobacco consumption and other health issues in China from a historical perspective. Her research studies the shift from the study of infectious diseases that characterized morbidity in China prior to the twentieth century to analysis of cultural habits that impact morbidity and mortality in contemporary China. Her current project  is a look at the social and cultural history of tobacco consumption in China from its introduction in the mid-sixteenth century to the present—seeks most fundamentally to analyze the deep and enduring reasons behind China’s current smoking epidemic.

From her award citation: "For a decade, her teaching has been innovative in conception and outstanding in execution. ... [She] has taught to acclaim at all levels of the curriculum: from General Education courses, to Asian History surveys, to advanced colloquia for undergraduates, to seminars for doctoral students. In each case her goal is to provide students with a deep appreciation for cultural difference while recognizing fundamental human values that transcend cultural boundaries, to challenge their underlying categories of analysis, and to encourage them to think in a comparative, cross-cultural, and transnational way."

Angel C. de Dios, Associate Professor of Chemistry
Professor de Dios teaches General Chemistry I & II, Physical Chemistry I & II, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. His research interests are Physical and Biophysical Chemistry.

From his award citation: With the gift to engage students of all abilities and interests, challenging them with very high standards, Angel C. de Dios has influenced hundreds of students through his exemplary teaching at all levels of the curriculum. In particular, in his General Chemistry course he dispels fears of chemistry through a pedagogy that can even include guitar playing and singing but, most importantly, transforms the subject matter, incites interest, and encourages students’ own commitment of energy and creativity to their study of the sciences."

Leona Fisher, Associate Professor of English
Professor Fisher is an expert in children's literature; women writers of the 19th century; Victorian nonfiction, fiction and poetry; feminist theory; narratology; women’s studies; Latin American fiction (19th & 20th c.); children's literature and culture; narrative theory; Victorian theatre. She is the recipient of numerous grants, honors and awards, including CASE Professor of the Year, Georgetown's Bunn Award for Faculty Excellence, and four Georgetown summer research grants.

From her award citation: "Reason and passion are the guiding forces of her 31 years of teaching at Georgetown University. ... Teaching for Professor Fisher is communal and collaborative, and has the goal of liberating the student for intellectual and critical independence from the teacher.  ... Her expansive view of teaching has included instruction, curriculum development, mentoring of students and fellow faculty, and the scholarship of teaching and learning."

The College Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching is awarded annually to as many as three professors who teach courses in the undergraduate college. Each academic department and program in Georgetown's undergraduate college may nominate one member of its faculty for this award, which is designed to honor excellence in the teaching of undergraduates. Winners, who are selected by their peers and endorsed by the dean of Georgetown College, receive an honorarium, a citation and an engraved gold-plated medal. All those teaching undergraduate courses are eligible, whether or not they are members of the ordinary faculty.

About Georgetown University

Georgetown University is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in America, founded in 1789 by Archbishop John Carroll. Georgetown today is a major student-centered, international, research university offering respected undergraduate, graduate and professional programs on its three campuses. For more information about Georgetown University, visit www.georgetown.edu.