Commitment to students makes a difference. Ask the ranks of former pupils who have taken classes under the two Old Dominion professors honored with Outstanding Faculty Awards from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).
Professors Christine Drake (geography) and Daniel Dauer (biological sciences) received the awards at a ceremony in the state Capitol Building Wednesday, Feb. 17, marking the first time a pair of faculty from the university were honored in the same year. The state's highest honor for faculty at Virginia's public and private colleges and universities, the Outstanding Faculty Awards are presented for superior accomplishments in teaching, research and public service.
"I am delighted that the excellence of our faculty has been recognized, once again, in the selection by SCHEV of Dr. Dauer and Dr. Drake for Outstanding Faculty Awards," said Jo Ann Gora, provost and vice president for academic affairs.
Drake, a University Professor of Geography, has been at Old Dominion since 1979 and was director of the university's Model United Nations program from 1988-93.
As with all of the SCHEV awards, students' recommendations weighed heavily in the awards committee's selections.
In 1998, Drake was named Most Inspiring Faculty Member by graduating Dominion Scholar Lori Hildebrand, who also recommended her former instructor for the faculty awards.
Hildebrand is in France studying for her master's degree in history and geography, thanks to help from Drake with scholarship applications. Having a positive female role model at Old Dominion also helped Hildebrand take a proactive approach to her college career, she said.
"Since my first class with her in 1995, my entire outlook on the world and my personal goals have changed dramatically," Hildebrand wrote in her recommendation. "Her courses and individual attention demand a personal integrity that is not easily achieved."
Drake's dean agreed.
"Always rigorous and exceptionally well organized in the classroom, Dr. Drake is a highly conscientious, demanding and thoroughly supportive teacher," said Karen Gould, dean of the College of Arts and Letters.
"In their qualitative comments about her teaching, Dr. Drake's students applaud her broad knowledge of the subject matter, superior organization, enthusiasm for teaching and learning, energetic encouragement of student participation, supportive approach with students and her fairness."
Dauer, who joined the biological sciences department in 1975, was named an Eminent Scholar in 1998 and has been director of the university's benthic ecology laboratory for 14 years. He served as biology department chair from 1990-96.
He was a visiting research scientist at marine labs in Beaufort, N.C., in 1998 and Lizard Island, Australia, in 1983.
Last year, Dauer received Old Dominion's A. Rufus Tonelson Distinguished Faculty Award. He has received 70 grants totaling more than $9 million and has had 41 articles published in journals and periodicals.
Dauer was recognized in part for his work on the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay, which constitutes a major service contribution at both the state and national levels, said his department chair, Andrew S. Gordon.
Dauer's research has resulted in redesigning and improving monitoring to protect the bay's natural resources, identifying regions that are most in need of restoration and assessing the bay's water quality, Gordon added.
"Dr. Dauer's research has produced not only cutting-edge scientific data but also provides the basis to devise practical solutions to the challenge of preserving the Chesapeake Bay," he said.
Dauer also has the common touch in the classroom, according to student evaluations.
"This guy is sharp," said one former student in Dauer's invertebrate zoology course. "He knows what he is talking about and he knows exactly how to explain himself in ways that people from different levels of experience will understand."
To Michael F. Lane, Dauer's former student and lab manager for the Applied Marine Research Laboratory, Dauer also has been a co-worker. The two have collaborated for five years on several projects funded by state organizations and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay program.
"My experience with Dan as a research colleague has demonstrated that he has excellent leadership qualities, a strong commitment to producing quality research and a willingness to listen to the ideas of his fellow researchers," Lane said.
The SCHEV awards program was started in 1985 to recognize excellence in Virginia's public and private college and university faculties. Before this year, only 101 faculty members had received the awards, including seven from Old Dominion.
The award consists of a $5,000 cash prize made possible by the governor and the General Assembly, and a commemorative plaque. SCHEV also sponsors an annual banquet to recognize the award winners.
