The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign each year presents Campus Awards for Excellence in Instruction to exceptional faculty and staff members, graduate teaching assistants and advisors campuswide. The recipients were honored at a March 25 ceremony.
Awardees are cited for sustained excellence and innovation in undergraduate and graduate teaching, undergraduate and graduate advising and mentoring, online teaching and research guidance. The Office of the Provost sponsors the awards.
Learn more about the honorees from the School of Literatures, Cultures & Linguistics as excerpted from their nominators.
Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring
Mariselle Meléndez, a professor of Spanish and Portuguese and the director of the School of Literatures, Cultures & Linguistics, is a recipients of the Campus Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring, presented to tenure-system or specialized faculty members at Illinois who have taught on the Urbana campus for at least five years.
Meléndez’s approach to mentoring includes understanding, adaptability, clarity and a genuine investment in her students’ success. A first-generation student herself, Meléndez sees mentoring as a responsibility to carve a path for others and lead by example. She has shaped generations of scholars of Latin America and helped to cultivate their professional development. She individually guides each graduate student and encourages them to learn from and collaborate with one another.
Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
Faculty, specialized faculty and teaching assistants are eligible for the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
Teaching Assistants
A doctoral candidate in classics, Amy Vandervelde creates engaging activities for recitation sections that bring ancient myths to life. She constantly changes her classes based on student feedback, incorporating review games in the style of “Jeopardy” and visits to an open-air theater to experience a Greek tragedy. She gives students the space to ask questions and tries to create a truly welcoming teaching environment
Specialized Faculty
John Kotnarowski, a senior lecturer in linguistics, has the ability to connect with students, create a productive learning community and motivate students to develop their writing skills. He constantly refines curricula to keep his courses current, rigorous and accessible for hundreds of international undergraduates each year. He aims to deepen his understanding of the craft of writing and helps his students do the same.
Editor's note: A version of this story first appeared on the Illinois News Bureau website.