Announcing the 2017 Distinguished Faculty Awards
Each year, Northwestern University School of Professional Studies honors three faculty members in the areas of undergraduate and post-baccalaureate programs, professional development programs, and graduate programs. The Distinguished Faculty Awards are given to instructors who have contributed to the growth and success of their students over the past academic year. Any faculty member can be nominated by current SPS students.
This year, the following faculty members were selected and later celebrated at the 2017 SPS All Faculty Meeting:
Undergraduate and Post-baccalaureate: Ben Gorvine
An Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, Dr. Ben Gorvine received this accolade for his work in the post-baccalaureate Preclinical Psychology Certificate program. He has been teaching in SPS since 2009.
Of his teaching, the student who nominated him noted that Gorvine is “One the most knowledgeable and thoughtful professors I've had during my time at Northwestern. He makes it very evident how much he cares about his classes and students. He is always available for help and feedback and takes great care in how he grades and assigns coursework.”
Professional Development Programs: Mark Thompson
Regarding Mark Thompson, a student said “Mark brings fun and motivation to the classroom every day and goes above and beyond to ensure his students understand the material. He genuinely cares about his students and it shows in his compassionate speech and impromptu one-on-one conversations. He inspires me to achieve my goals and be better every day. He is a gifted teacher and incredible person.”
Thompson, an instructor in Northwestern’s Coding Boot Camp, is a professional software engineer and Lead Engineer at Accertify, Inc.
Graduate Programs: Angela Fontes
The Manager of Analytic Consulting at the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), Dr. Angela Fontes has been teaching in the SPS Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) program since 2009. Her online course, Behavioral Economics, is the most popular elective in the program.
One of her MPPA students said, “Dr. Fontes is not only an excellent teacher, but also an exceptional mentor and leader in our MPPA Program.”
Congratulations to this year's winners and thank you to all of our wonderful SPS faculty.