Odell honored by students and national organizations
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This spring, students honored Dawn Odell, assistant professor of art history, with the Teacher of the Year award, an honor that Lewis & Clark students have bestowed upon faculty since 1993.
The student committee charged with naming the Teacher of the Year chose Odell based on the quality of student-submitted nomination letters. The students who nominated Odell cited her compassion, her enthusiasm about the subjects she teaches, her willingness to help students, and her expert knowledge as reasons why they felt Odell should be recognized.
“[Professor Odell’s] knowledge of and passion for the field of art history, especially within her area of expertise, and the excitement with which she shares her knowledge and passion are unparalleled,” one student wrote.
“Her inviting demeanor encourages students like myself to challenge ourselves, to go above and beyond to prepare for every class, and to make that a standard,” another student wrote.
John Holzwarth, assistant professor of political science; Iva Stavrov, assistant professor of mathematics; and Matthieu Raillard, associate professor of Spanish, were also chosen as finalists for the 2011 Teacher of the Year award. Each year, the Pamplin Society asks all Lewis & Clark students to submit nominations for Teacher of the Year. A selection committee chooses several finalists and then requests additional student input. After debate and deliberation, the committee selects a winner.
In addition to this campus recognition, Odell received national honors this spring, including a grant from the American Philosophical Society in support of her research on Chinese and European influences on the material culture and society of the Dutch East Indies, which she will be conducting in London and Amsterdam. Odell also received a Robert L. Platzman Memorial Fellowship from the University of Chicago Library to conduct additional research in the university’s Special Collections Research Center.
Photos courtesy of Alison Walcott, director of the Pamplin Society.
