UW System release on Teaching Excellence sings Ganyard’s praises

The UW System has posted its news release announcing the 2014 winners of the Regents Teaching Excellence Awards. Two professors and one academic program will be recognized during the Board of Regents meeting in Milwaukee on June 6. As previously announced here, UW-Green Bay’s Clif Ganyard heads the list, which also includes engineering Prof. Matthew Roberts of UW-Platteville and the Biology program at UW-River Falls.

The news release highlights Ganyard’s selection as follows:

Clifton Ganyard, Associate Professor, Department of Humanistic Studies, UW-Green Bay. Associate Prof. Ganyard has taught more than two dozen courses for Humanistic Studies, History and Global Studies, with his main field of study being modern European and German history. His instructional style, much beloved by his students, is an approach that integrates art, philosophy, literature and music. The idea is to view history from various vantage points. For example, Ganyard’s passion for interdisciplinary teaching is evidenced by his course on Jazz history, which included live jazz performances, as well as an exploration of the history of this art form, as well as the social and political contexts in which it evolved. To achieve his instructional goals, Ganyard also looks outside of the Humanities for still another perspective. What results is a productive and invigorating learning environment. Ganyard is the recipient of many awards and honors, including being named a UWGB Advanced Online Teaching Fellow in 2014 and the UW System Institute on Race and Ethnicity grant for his World War II course, War without Mercy in 2012.
“Selecting the winners for this prestigious honor is always difficult because the UW System is home to so many outstanding educators,” said Regent Charles Pruitt, chair of the selection committee. “These teachers are both creative and passionate in their approaches to helping students learn. Their success and devotion to their students’ needs are a testament to how excellent teachers can have a lasting impact on student lives.” See the full news release.