MEADVILLE, Pa. – April 29, 2008 – Two members of the Allegheny College faculty received honors for their continued dedication to teaching and higher education at the college's annual Honors Convocation held on Tuesday, April 29. Robert K. Schwartz was awarded the 2008 Julian Ross Award for Excellence in Teaching, and Ishita Sinha Roy received the 2008 Thoburn Award for Excellence in Teaching.
The Julian Ross Award, established by the Allegheny Alumni Association, is presented annually to a faculty member who, in the opinion of faculty, students and alumni, demonstrates excellence in teaching. The award honors the memory of Julian Ross, a 1923 graduate of Allegheny who served as a professor of English at the college for 43 years and as a dean of instruction from 1949 to 1966.
Schwartz, a professor of geology who is also a graduate of Allegheny, has been teaching at his alma mater since 1979. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Indiana University.
“Bob is a shining example of how teachers should inspire interest and enthusiasm in their students,” said one Allegheny graduate. “He forced us to figure out what the rocks were telling us, instead of just giving us the answers. On field trips he expected us to question, observe, discover and solve the geologic questions firsthand. He was there to guide us, but ultimately we had to be the scientists.”
Another former student says, “Not thinking for yourself was never an option in Bob's classes.” That challenge to students to think for themselves, a colleague notes, has resulted in a record of students whose work is of such a high caliber that they often present their research at professional conferences while still undergraduates at Allegheny College.
Members of the Thoburn family, through the Thoburn Foundation for Education, established the Thoburn Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1994. More than 50 members of the Thoburn family have attended Allegheny, making it the college's largest family.
An associate professor of communication arts, Ishita Sinha Roy has taught at Allegheny since 2001. She holds a B.A. and an M.A. from the University of Bombay and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Southern California.
Students who nominated Sinha Roy for the award noted her engaging teaching style and challenging but creative assignments.
“Professor Sinha Roy was hands down the most creative professor I ever had,” said one student. “Her teaching style was unique, engaging and, most of all, effective. She did not just teach information, but she taught how to think.”
Another student praised a videoconference course that Sinha Roy co-taught with Lloyd Segan, a Hollywood producer and Allegheny alumnus. “I met the head of the Sci-Fi network, the head of the Game Show network, two writers from ‘The King of the Hill,' a talent agent, the director of development from the USA Network and several others,” said the student. “All of these opportunities were made possible through Dr. Sinha Roy's creativity.”
