April 26, 2013

Video: Rebecca “Becko” Copenhaver named teacher of the year

Students vote Rebecca “Becko” Copenhaver, professor of philosophy, Teacher of the Year. Watch her heartfelt acceptance speech in this short video.

On April 17, students named Rebecca “Becko” Copenhaver, professor of philosophy, Teacher of the Year. The student committee charged with selecting the teacher of the year chose Copenhaver based on the quality of the nomination letters submitted by students.

Other finalists this year were Rachel Cole, associate professor of English; Kristin Fujie, assistant professor of English; Jennifer LaBounty, assistant professor of psychology; and Mike Rathbun, associate professor of art.

Copenhaver, who specializes in 18th-century British philosophy, teaches courses in the first-year core curriculum program, Exploration and Discovery. In the philosophy department, she teaches courses such as Introduction to Philosophy, Early Modern Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, and Philosophy of Language.

Copenhaver joined the faculty at Lewis & Clark in 2001. She holds a BA from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and she earned her MA and PhD from Cornell University. She is the author of numerous research publications.

“This is the most meaningful honor I’ve ever received,” Copenhaver said.

Watch her heartfelt acceptance speech in this short video.

The Teacher of the Year award has been bestowed on faculty by the undergraduate student body since 1993. The award process is student driven. Each year, the Pamplin Society asks all Lewis & Clark students to submit nominations. A selection committee chooses several finalists and then requests additional student input. After debate and deliberation, the committee selects a winner.