Reporter Volume 25, No.26 April 28, 1994

Eight graduate students were honored April 14 for teaching excellence
at the first Graduate Student Excellence in Teaching Award Convocation
in Slee Hall. 
	Addressing the convocation, Joyce Sirianni, dean of the
Graduate School and Distinguished Teaching Professor of Anthropology,
said the students were selected on the basis of criteria that include
teaching skills, mentorship, academic standards and requirements,
evaluation of student performance and professional growth. 
	"Academic scholarship and teaching skills are two important
components of teaching excellence," Sirianni pointed out, "but without
mentorship or caring, the picture isn't quite complete. I To engage in
discussions which would enrich the learning experience, to expand the
intellectual horizons of a narrowly focused student, to advise them
both academically and personally. To be a role model."
	The awards for Graduate Students were established by the
Graduate School and the Graduate Student Association to recognize
graduate students who are committed to teaching and who have developed
an exceptional competence in teaching. 
	Honored were: Sinkwan Cheng and Mauritz Royce Kallerud,
English; Gretchen Knapp, History; John Ernst and Erica Sargent,
Psychology; Steven Dixon, Education/Information and Library Studies;
Niloufer (Nil) Mackey, Computer Science, and Lorraine Incardona,
Biological Sciences.
	Sinkwan Cheng was cited for her erudition in a wide array of
critical theories and breadth of literary understanding. "Still, on
the academic scene, brilliance and learning are worthless unless one
can communicate with others and particularly with those far less
versed in one's field," wrote the nominator. Her undergraduate
students "stayed with her every step of the way and were filled with a
rare enthusiasm and delight in their own powers to think on their
feet."
	Cited for his "energizing presence" in the English Department,
Mauritz Royce Kallerud was praised for "his classroom practice of
extensive group discussion and reporting work, his constant dialogue
with his students on paper and in conference, his insistence that they
reflect back continuously on their own writing through rewriting and
the maintenance of their portfolios."
	"An exceptional individual with the intellectual capacity and
training to be an excellent scholar and a superb teacher," according
to the nominating letter, Gretchen Knapp was honored for her love of
history and the way she communicates that love to her students. As a
graduate assistant in the World Civilization course, she showed great
imagination in conveying material, for instance, organizing
discussions and debates about historical figures and interpretations. 
	John M. Ernst teaches three regular departmental undergraduate
courses in Psychology. "One student, writing of Ernst's "Race and
Racism" class, wrote, "Of all the classes I have taken at (UB), I have
never experienced a teacher as captivating and caring as John Ernst.
His class was always full and no one ever left early. John's office
door was always open and he made himself available to talk about any
problems or concerns."
	Erica Sargent combines, says her nominator, "a rigorous
empiricism and a generous humanism; her work is marked by an unusual
sort of grace and warmth." Because of her qualities as a teacher,
Erica Sargent was chosen to be a substitute instructor for two very
larger sections of introductory psychology when a faculty member
became ill. "These sections reach literally hundreds of students," her
nominator wrote. "They are team taught, and the instructor must be
able to hold her own with a very experienced and accomplished full
professor. I She performed her expected duties, but she has also
designed a very creative system of undergraduate peer counseling for
the courses." 
	Steven Dixon is enrolled in the Graduate School of Education
in the Cooperative Doctoral Program toward a Ph.D. in Social
Foundations with a specialization in higher education's academic
librarianship. In teaching two survey programs in the MLS program,
Dixon "performs superbly in the classroom, is accessible to students
beyond the classroom and is a caring, approachable instructor who sets
high standards for his students and who is scrupulously fair in their
evaluation."
	According to her nominator, Niloufer Mackey has infectious
enthusiasm as a teacher of computer science and is "an extraordinary
expositor." One student referred to her "natural charisma,"
"intelligence" and "willingness to help in any way." "Her preparation
for classes is careful. She understands when a student is unsure and
is willing to help and to explain on a 1-1 basis. Her grading is
thorough and fair."
	Lorraine Incardona delivers presentations that are "clear,
concise and effective," according to the nominating letter. Students
have praised her knowledge, helpful attitude and ability to "convey
ideas in a way easy to understand. In the last 3 1/2 years, she has
served as a teaching assistant in six different courses in Biology.
She is, says this faculty member, a patient and very competent
instructor."