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Three Faculty Recognized for Teaching Excellence, Concern for Students

Awards announced Saturday during commencement ceremonies for UM College of Liberal Arts

Glenn Hopkins (right), dean of the University of Mississippi College of Liberal Arts, congratulates (from left) Sarah Moses, Felice Coles and Michael Raines on their teaching awards. Moses won the Cora Lee Graham Award for Outstanding Teaching of Freshmen, Coles was named the College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Teacher and Raines was named the College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Instructor. UM photo by Robert Jordan.

Three outstanding faculty members in the University of Mississippi’s College of Liberal Arts have been selected as top teachers and awarded $1,000 prizes and engraved plaques.

The 2012-13 honored faculty and their awards are Felice Coles, associate professor of modern languages, College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Teacher; Sarah Moses, assistant professor of religion, Cora Lee Graham Award for Outstanding Teaching of Freshmen; and Michael Raines, instructional assistant professor of Teaching English as a Second Language and Intensive English Program, College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Instructor. They were recognized Saturday (May 11) afternoon at the college’s commencement ceremony in Tad Smith Coliseum.

The selection process involved nominations from students and fellow faculty, which were considered by a committee of former recipients based on criteria that includes excellence in class instruction, intellectual stimulation of students and concern for students’ welfare.

The nomination letters followed a theme of selflessness, professional passion and individual attention to students.

Nominating Coles, one student wrote about admiring “her most notable characteristics: professionalism, work ethic and passion for teaching.”

“Dr. Coles exhibits an outstanding predisposition not only to teach but also to help the student to completely engage in the subject matter.”

Of Moses, one colleague referred to how her students regularly give her high marks in teaching evaluations and wrote the following: “Dr. Moses is more than an excellent teacher; she is also a caring mentor. Teaching religion has some unique challenges, compared to teaching chemistry, for example. The teacher is exposing students to belief systems that are quite different than their own deeply held beliefs. … It takes great skill to negotiate such controversial terrain. One has to earn the respect of the students to take them on this journey.”

One student writing for Raines noted his willingness to “go the extra mile.”

“It’s evident from (Dr. Raines’) teaching, attitude and actions that he loves teaching and takes pleasure in helping students to have success and accomplish their dreams.”

Each of the three recipients received validation of their worthiness for the awards from their department chairs.

“Dr. Felice Coles is one of the finest teachers in the Department of Modern Languages, which now boasts no fewer than seven faculty members honored as teacher of the year,” said Donald L. Dyer, modern languages chair. “She is known as a professor who practices tough love, and her students appreciate Dr. Coles for her professionalism and hard work.”

Likewise, Dyer offered kudos to Raines, saying, “Dr. Michael Raines for the past several years has been the linchpin of our off-campus master’s degree program in Teaching English as a Second Language, after serving for many years as a teacher of Spanish and intensive English on campus. His commitment to his students is evident in their devotion to him as a teacher, a mentor and an academic adviser.”

Steven C. Skultety, philosophy and religion chair, lauded his honored faculty member.

“Like other well-respected teachers, Dr. Sarah Moses brings an incredible amount of enthusiasm to her teaching, and she thinks very carefully about which material will interest and challenge our students. What sets her apart, however, is her uncanny ability to exert authority and make students feel like sharing and participating at one and the same time. Students in her classes never feel they are receiving a pre-packaged lecture, but believe they are entering a conversation led by a sympathetic expert.”

The three honored faculty each expressed surprise and appreciation for having been chosen.

“Teaching is my favorite part of being an academic,” Moses said. “When I think of freshmen who are just setting out on the intellectual, social and personal journey of college, I consider it a great privilege to help them to deepen their understanding of the world in which they live, particularly about religious studies. And so it is very gratifying to me to know that some of my students have had a positive learning experience in my classes and honored me by nominating me for this award.”

Likewise, Raines said, “Being chosen for this award means that my work is appreciated by my students and peers alike. I feel honored to be in such distinguished company, and I simply plan to continue to do what I have always been doing.”

Coles said, “I’m grateful for having been selected as an outstanding teacher in the College of Liberal Arts. I couldn’t have achieved this honor without the enthusiastic support and encouragement from my colleagues and chair in modern languages.”

Coles, who joined the faculty in 1994, holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Louisiana State University, a master’s in linguistics from the University of Utah and a doctorate in linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin. She teaches a variety of courses in Spanish and linguistics. Her research interests include dialects of American English and Hispanic sociolinguistics and language obsolescence. She is the editor of the Southern Journal of Linguistics.

Moses joined the university in 2008. She specializes in religious and medical ethics and contemporary religious thought. Each semester, she teaches several sections of REL 101: Introduction to Religion. She holds a master’s from Harvard Divinity School and a doctorate in theological ethics from Boston College.

Raines has been teaching at UM for nine years. He teaches courses in TESL, linguistics and ESL. His research interests include ESL, American and Mexican cultures, and linguistics. He completed bachelor’s degrees in English and Spanish, as well as a master’s and doctorate in Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, all at UM. He earned his second master’s in romance languages-Spanish from the University of Alabama.

For more information about the College of Liberal Arts, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/liberal_arts/.

– Elaine Pugh, Ole Miss News

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