Today’s guest post is from Michael K. Potter and is cross-posted on Better Living Through Pedagogy. Photos are by Tory James.

GA/TA Award Winners 2011! From left to right: President Alan Wildeman, Dean of Science Marlys Kochinsky, Paul Moffatt (Physics), Vanessa Bruce, Laura Krasean and Amanda Robinson (Psychology), and Dean of Arts and Social Sciences Cecil Houston

The Centre for Teaching and Learning, in conjunction with the Office of the Provost, held its sixth annual Celebration of Teaching Excellence yesterday [November 14, 2011], and I just wanted to take a moment to congratulate the people who were honoured for accomplishments relevant to my programs. Because I’m narrow-minded. And because mentioning every winner would involve far too much typing for my insomnia-addled brain.

First, congratulations to winners of this year’s GA/TA Awards! Paul Moffatt (Physics) won the GA/TA Award for Educational Leadership; Melanie Santarossa (English) and the team of Vanessa Bruce, Laura Krasean and Amanda Robinson (Psychology) won GA/TA Awards for Educational Practice. Their submissions were all outstanding, and it was great to see all of the winners (except Melanie, woe betide our souls) at the ceremony.

Second, congratulations to the 2011 graduating cohort of Fundamentals of University Teaching, the first level of the University Teaching Certificate (UTC) Program! The cohort included the following luminaries:

University Teaching Certificate Grads 2011! From left to right: President Alan Wildeman, Nabih Jaber (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Lyn Cunningham (Business), Debbie Rickeard (Nursing), Betsy Keating (Education) and Kathleen McMahon (NUrsing)

• Jessie Beatty (English)
• Lyn Cunningham (Business)
• Nabih Jaber (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
• Betsy Keating (Education)
• Kathleen McMahon (Nursing)
• Debbie Rickeard (Nursing)
• Melanie Santarossa (English)
• Gemma Smyth (Law)

Honestly, I was so excited to see these people make it through that I tripped on my way to the stage, thus humiliating myself in the eyes of all those watching me (what, no one was looking at me? Shameful). So we can conclude it’s their fault I’m, a klutz.

Congratulations, everyone! The University of Windsor is lucky to have dedicated, intelligent, hard-working people like you!