Since 1966, the Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching has been presented to teachers who have a passion to inspire others to learn.

Nominees are motivational in the classroom, involved in outside participation and communicate well with faculty. The four teachers who received the award go above and beyond for their students.

Nominations are made by faculty members and students. All four teachers are honored after being recognized.

ANNE BRITT: Associate professor of psychology

“I teach a hard class and I consider myself a challenging teacher, so I was surprised when the students nominated me,” said Britt. “I think the students like to be challenged because they learn more in the end,”

Britt has been with NIU for nine years. She teaches research methods in psychology and cognitive psychology. Britt is proud to have helped bring in three grants for education research that totaled $3 million.

MELISSA LENCZEWSKI: Associate professor of geology & environmental geoscience

Lenczewski has taught geology at NIU since January 2001. She feels the award means much more coming from the students.

“I always keep the undergrad students involved in what I’m doing because it keeps them interested,” Lenczewski said.

Lenczewski is also a faculty adviser in Douglas Hall’s Science, Engineering and Technology House, an adviser for the water skiing club and the National Earth Science Society, Sigma Gamma Epsilon.

ED KLONOSKI: Associate Professor of Music

Klonoski has taught at NIU for 13 years.

“Music is my passion,” Klonoski said. “I developed interest in college and I get the best of both worlds because I get to teach something that I love to do.”

Klonoski said the most important thing to him is that students value the work he does with them.

JOHN BRADLEY: English instructor

“I have always loved reading and writing even though I myself struggled with freshman English,” Bradley said. “I do a lot of informal talking, brainstorming and discussing with other professors. We share ideas and figure out what readings work. This is all necessary for successful teaching.”

Bradley has been at NIU for 16 years and previously won the Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 1994.