Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching

• Origins, Process and Eligibility
• Regulations
• Past Recipients

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Origins

The Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching was inaugurated in 1993 as an institutional recognition of outstanding faculty members. One to three Binswanger Prizes for Excellence in Teaching are presented each year and are made possible by the generosity of the Binswanger family that counts numerous Wesleyan alumni, alumnae and parents in its ranks. The standards and criteria for the annual prizes shall be excellence in teaching, as exemplified by commitment to the classroom and student accomplishment, intellectual demands placed on students, lucidity, and passion. Recommendations may be based on any of the types of teaching that are done at the University including, but not limited to, teaching in lecture courses, seminars, laboratories, creative and performance-based courses, research tutorials and other individual and group tutorials at the undergraduate and graduate level.

Process

Prize recipients are chosen by a selection committee of emeriti and current faculty members and members of the Alumni Association's Executive Committee who are appointed by the Association's chair in accord with the organization's bylaws. Recommendations are solicited from members of the last ten graduating classes, the current junior and senior classes, and current graduate students.

In making its decisions, the committee reviews current year recommendations and any written comments included with a recommendation. Other considerations include the quality of teaching evaluations, whether a candidate has been recommended in previous years, and any other factors the Selection Committee may deem relevant.

Prize winners are announced at Commencement and each recipient receives a citation and monetary prize made possible by the generosity of the Binswanger family.

Questions/Comments?

Send an email to alumni@wesleyan.edu