The Humanities Seminars Program honored four University of Arizona professors with the annual Ted and Shirley Taubeneck Superior Teaching Award.
Ted Buchholz, Richard Poss, Greg Sakall and Steve Smith were honored at the November ceremony. Last year, the annual HSP Superior Teaching Awards were named in honor of longtime HSP students Ted and Shirley Taubeneck.
Theodore Buchholz, Assistant Professor in the Fred Fox School of Music, received an award for the Fall 2018 seminar “The Cello.” Richard Poss, Associate Professor of Astronomy, was awarded for the Spring 2018 seminar “Sense of Wonder: Stories of Fantasy and Science Fiction.” The Hon. Greg Sakall, Pima County Superior Court Judge and Guest Lecturer in the James E. Rogers College of Law, was honored for his Fall 2018 seminar “Controversial Issues in the Supreme Court.” Steve Smith, Associate Professor in the Schools of Natural Resources and the Environment and Plant Sciences, received an award for the Summer 2018 seminar “Water and Society: Sustainable Use of the Essential Resource for Life.”
“The Humanities Seminars Program honors its professors every year because of the tremendous impact they make in engaging our community of lifelong learners,” said Micah Lunsford, HSP Senior Coordinator. “Both the longevity of HSP and its recent growth can be credited to these professors and their dedication to these valuable seminars.”
HSP students choose the outstanding teachers, who receive monetary awards. These stipends come from the Humanities Seminars Endowment for Superior Teaching established in 1985 by founders of the program. This year's awards bring to $280,000 the total payments to the UA faculty from this endowment.
The University of Arizona's premier lifelong learning series, the Humanities Seminars Program was founded in 1984 and offers the highest-quality courses in letters, arts, and sciences designed specifically for adult students. All courses are taught by present and former University of Arizona professors selected for their scholarly accomplishments and exceptional teaching abilities.