Four teachers have been honored for their commitment in undergraduate teaching this year: Mylan Engel, associate professor of philosophy, Lesley Rigg, associate professor of biogeography, and nursing professor Jeanette Rossetti received the Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Marketing instructor Ed Brata received the Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Instruction.

“Out of all my teaching accolades, this is the best one,” Brata says. “It’s the top of the mountain, the crème of the crop. To be considered with three other outstanding teachers without teaching experience means a lot.”

Unlike the other honorees, Brata started at NIU with no teaching experience. He spent 16 years in real estate before becoming an instructor in the College of Business. Brata described his classroom tone as conversational.

“I don’t speak at my students. I speak to my students,” Brata says.

Like Brata, Rossetti also is very passionate about her students and was honored to have received the award.

“This award really means a lot to me. I really like it because it’s not like any other because you are nominated by the students,” Rossetti said.

Rossetti said she realized the importance of nursing at an early age, as her father was very ill when she was young. This played a vital role in how she views the importance of nursing and her belief that all patients should have the best of care.

Passion is something Engel also shares. He said he challenges students to think in a radically reflective way.

“Learning what our fundamental values are is a crucial first step toward living lives that accord with our values,” Engel says.

Rigg, like Engel, has a strong passion for her work. But while Engel debates the meaning of life,

Rigg enjoys the many different scenes of geography.

“I think it was spending a lot of time outside and getting an appreciation for the landscape as a whole,” Rigg said, explaining this is what drew her to geography. In class, she shares her travel stories along with jokes about geography, something that caught the attention of junior communications major JaQuita Price.

“Going into Geography 101, I had a negative attitude because it seemed like such a boring subject,” Price said. “But Professor Rigg caught my attention by explaining the material in ways that were easy for me to comprehend. That along with her enthusiasm and eagerness to teach made me look forward to her lectures.”