Georgetown Students Honor Faculty for Excellence in Teaching
March 19, 2010
On February 19th, Georgetown College students and the College Academic Council (CAC) honored Classics department associate professor Josiah Osgood for excellence in teaching. Students in the College were asked to nominate faculty, and this year over 400 students cast their vote. Previous recipients of the award include professors Dan Porterfield of the English department, James Schall, S.J. of Government, and Joseph Neale of Biology. 
Associate professor Osgood has been a force for the classics department, and students have been drawn to his enthusiasm and style. Bettina Bergoo (C’11) found that after Osgood’s short remarks accepting his award, she found herself drawn to his subject. “His ability to inspire this kind of passion for the subject in me during a short talk is definitely reflective of what I heard his students say,” said Bergoo, who worked as the student event organizer for the CAC awards. “Professor Osgood said in his speech that he loves hearing views and observations students come with to class and often they are things he himself has not noticed, and I think that respectful and mutually inquisitive attitude is something undergrads really appreciate in a professor.”
The origins of the award began four years ago when students of the College Academic Council members decided that undergraduates should annually be able to honor a faculty member for particularly engaging teaching. CAC president Lauren Sugarman (C’10) noted that the vital role professors play in student intellectual development is an important reason to honor them.
“The professors I've had at Georgetown have played a fundamental role in my education,” she explained. “While the subjects of many of my classes were interesting in and of themselves, the professors brought the material alive. They inspire students to engage with information and ideas in a new way, fostering new areas of interest and thought processes. It's the professors who invest time and energy into teaching who shape students' academic experience at Georgetown College.”
Planned and implemented by students, this year’s even was held in the Copley Formal Lounge. Over dinner, students and staff sat together and discussed academic interests and experiences. The honoree, assistant professor Osgood, was touched to have received the award and to be honored at the event.
"When I learned of the Academic Council's recognition, I was deeply moved,” said Osgood. “Students are the heart of Georgetown, and make this place what it is. To be honored by them is an extraordinary vote of confidence. The dinner on February 19 was a wonderful opportunity for faculty and students to meet; many superb professors who were also nominated were there, and we were really recognizing all of their achievement."
Photo courtesy Paul Courtney.
