Wisconsin Teaching Fellowships awarded to UWSP faculty

Two University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point faculty members have been awarded $5,000 each from the Wisconsin Teaching Fellows Program.

Clive David, professor of forestry, and Susan Sherwin, assistant professor of theatre and dance, are among 20 peers in the University of Wisconsin System awarded fellowships for 2000-01.

The UW System's Undergraduate Teaching Improvement Council (UTIC) administers the fellowship program, which provides grants to faculty in their first 10 years of teaching who are nominated by their institution. The chosen fellows use the grants for a yearlong opportunity to think creatively on ways to improve faculty instruction and student learning, while working cooperatively with colleagues both within and outside their disciplines.

As fellows, the faculty members will attend the UTIC's Faculty College in June at UW-Richland Center and a Summer Institute in late July in Madison.

During his fellowship year, David hopes to accomplish two goals through the fellowship. He wants to determine what are the most appropriate methods of incorporating student-generated research in undergraduate forestry courses for the enhancement of student learning. In addition, he wants to see what the most appropriate means are for the integration of teaching and research when teaching a wide variation in students’ backgrounds, skills and abilities.

"UWSP’s forestry program is well known nationally," said David. "Forestry professionals today are examining how undergraduate programs like ours is preparing students for their future careers within a matrix of both changing technology and social values. Given that the CNR relies on undergraduate research as an educational tool, I believe that incorporating such activities into the classroom will better prepare our students for the many challenges they will face as professionals."

David has taught at UWSP since 1989. He has a bachelor's degree in forestry from the University of New Brunswick in Canada and a doctorate from the University of British Columbia.

"Personally, I feel that the use of computers in costume design is quite liberating," said Sherwin. "Modern computers have now made this field of study open up beyond students with a more traditional art background. Hollywood is already using digital cameras combined with computers for makeup designs. Costume design is following this trend as technological improvements both save time and add to one’s creative work."

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