Purdue celebrates Teaching Excellence Awards for College of Education and other faculty

October 2, 2023

Purdue University inducted 38 instructors into its Book of Great Teachers, which honors outstanding teaching faculty who have demonstrated sustained excellence in the classroom.

Provost Patrick Wolfe stands with Purdue instructors as they are inducted into the Book of Great Teachers
Provost Patrick Wolfe stands with Purdue instructors as they are inducted into the Book of Great Teachers (Purdue University photo)

The induction ceremony, conducted as part of the annual Celebration of Teaching Excellence, is held every five years. The event took place Tuesday, Sept. 26, in Purdue Memorial Union’s North Ballroom.

Automatically included in the Book of Great Teachers are professors with 10 years of service to the university who previously have been honored with the Charles B. Murphy Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award. Other inductees have at least 15 years of service to the university and were nominated by students, alumni and colleagues.

College of Education faculty included in the Book of Great Teachers are:

  • Jill A. Newton, Mathematics Education
  • Signe E. Kastberg, Curriculum and Instruction
  • Phillip J. VanFossen, Curriculum and Instruction and interim dean of the College

Beyond the Book of Great Teachers recognition, Purdue honored other instructors with a variety of awards, including these College of Education faculty and graduate students: 

Purdue Online Innovative Course Design and Use of Technology

  • Kharon D. Grimmet, Educational Studies
  • Angela D. Holtsclaw, Educational Studies
  • Adrie A. Koehler-Blair, Curriculum and Instruction
  • Kadir Kozan, Educational Studies
  • Daniela Vilarinho Rezende Pereira, Educational Studies

Teaching Academy

  • Jasmine L. Begeske, Educational Studies
  • Adrie A. Koehler-Blair, Curriculum and Instruction

Purdue Online Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award

  • Adrie A. Koehler-Blair, Curriculum and Instruction

Teaching for Tomorrow Fellowship Award 

  • Victoria L. Lowell, Curriculum and Instruction

Teaching Leadership Award

  • Anthony C. Ilobinso, Curriculum and Instruction
  • Kevin T. Jones, Curriculum and Instruction
  • Victoria L. Lowell, Curriculum and Instruction
  • Denis Uebiyev, Curriculum and Instruction
  • Stuart K. White, Curriculum and Instruction
  • Weijian Yan, Curriculum and Instruction

Purdue Provost Patrick Wolfe presented the awards and gave closing remarks. He spoke about the many ways teaching contributes to Purdue’s land-grant mission. Wolfe also said that helping students succeed is one of the great joys of the teaching profession.

“Teaching is such an impactful role,” he said. “When you help people think in structured ways, when you make that expertise available more broadly, it will have a rippling effect throughout students’ lives, within their communities, and across the state and world.”

Everyone inducted into the Book of Great Teachers is listed on a bronze-and-walnut wall display in the west foyer of the Union. The display was first unveiled in 1999. Including the most recently inducted professors, the book includes 467 names.

Source: Purdue celebrates Teaching Excellence, inducts 38 instructors into Book of Great Teachers (Purdue Today, 9-27-23)