Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching

The Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching is RIT’s highest honor for tenured faculty. Annually, it recognizes up to four faculty members who excel at teaching and enhancing student learning.

This prestigious award is named after the late M. Herbert and Elsa Bausch Eisenhart. Eisenhart, a former president and board chairman of Bausch & Lomb Inc., was a member of RIT’s Board of Trustees for more than 50 years. His contributions to RIT during that span were countless, and he was the recipient of the RIT Founders Awards in 1971. His commitment to RIT was further evidenced by his generous bequest that created the M. Herbert and Elsa Bausch Eisenhart Endowment Fund, which provides permanence to the Eisenhart Awards for Outstanding Teaching as well as a major scholarship fund.

M. Herbert and Elsa Bausch Eisenhart

Eligibility

The candidate must be a full-time faculty member of the university and have completed at least seven years as a full-time tenure and/or tenure-track faculty member at RIT by June 30 of the year in which the award is given. The seven years of teaching do not have to be contiguous and can be interrupted by service such as department head or by official leave.

The nominee must be a full-time faculty member for all of the year in which the award is given and will not be on official leave for any of this period.

The primary responsibility of the nominee, demonstrated by the teaching assignments of the nominee, shall be teaching RIT students. Primary responsibility is defined as at least nine courses for the past three years and three courses in the year of evaluation, as principal instructor in formal RIT courses (classroom, lab, studio, online).

Faculty with administrative titles are not eligible for this award.

The candidate shall not have been a recipient of the award in the preceding seven years.

Nomination committee members are not eligible in the years in which they serve, but they may resign if recommended for evaluation. Members will be replaced as outlined in the Organization and Selection of Nomination Committees section of policy E12.1.

The coordinator of the Eisenhart Awards shall not be eligible but may resign if recommended for evaluation. In the event of a resignation, the chair of the Academic Senate shall submit another name to Academic Senate for approval as coordinator of the Eisenhart Awards. In the interim period, the chair of the Academic Senate shall serve as coordinator.

Criteria

To determine teaching excellence, each nomination committee thoroughly investigates and establishes that:

  1. The candidate has clearly and unequivocally demonstrated superior teaching methods and has made significant contributions toward the betterment of RIT students’ educational, vocational and professional development. The superiority of each candidate shall have been thoroughly proven through documented evaluation, including endorsements by peers in the field of specialization, student evaluation, and classroom observation by the Nomination Committee members.
  2. The candidate has demonstrated excellent knowledge of the discipline(s) taught.
  3. The candidate has maintained the currency of material presented and general knowledge of subject matter through such means as: research, publications, conferences, professional communications, and contacts with fellow scholars or centers of research and study, seminars abroad or at home, or projects of scientific, artistic or professional interest to RIT’s students and faculty.
  4. The candidate has made a distinct difference in the teaching climate of the college in such areas as: model classroom teaching, campus leadership, pioneering teaching methodology, creative course development, and/or instructional support.
  5. The candidate has been involved with and served the RIT community as a whole.

Nomination Process

For more information about the nomination process, go to section E12.1 of RIT’s University Policies.

Awards Ceremony

Award recipients will be honored at the Provost’s Celebration of Teaching and Scholarship awards.  

More information about ceremony

Award Recipients

2022-2023 Recipients

Image of Mari Jaye Blanchard
Mari Jaye Blanchard, MFA
Associate Professor, School of Film and Animation
College of Art and Design
 Clyde Hull Headshot
Clyde Hull, Ph.D.
Professor of Management
Saunders College of Business
 
 
 
 
 
Jason Listman Headshot
Jason Listman, Ed.D.
Department of American Sign Language and Interpreting Education
National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Image of Sharon Mason
Sharon Mason, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Information
Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences

2021-2022 
Jan van Aardt, College of Science
md Abdullah al Faruque, College of Engineering Technology

2020-2021
Amanda Bao, College of Engineering Technology
Nathaniel Barlow, College of Science
Ammina Kothari, College of Liberal Arts

2019-2020 
Jeanne Christman, College of Engineering Technology
James Perkins, College of Health Sciences and Technology
Michael Richmond, College of Science

2018-2019
Hao Zhang, Saunders College of Business
George H. Zion, Jr., College of Engineering Technology

2017-2018
Steven M. Ciccarelli, College of Engineering Technology
Alex Lobos, College of Imaging Arts and Sciences

2016-2017
Clifford L.Y. Wun, College of Imaging Arts and Sciences
Lyn Fuller, Kate Gleason College of Engineering
Richard Cliver, College of Applied Science and Technology

2015-2016
Zack Butler, Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences
Rajendran Murthy, Saunders College of Business
Leslie Kate Wright, College of Science

2014-2015
Katie Terazakis, College of Liberal Arts
Thomas Gasek, College of Imaging Arts and Science
Robert D. Garrick, College of Applied Science and Technology
Christopher Kurz, National Technical Institute for the Deaf

2013-2014
Kirsten Condry, College of Liberal Arts
Carl Lutzer, College of Science

2012-2013
Linda Fleishman Gottermeier, National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Ivona Bezáková, Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences
Christina Goudreau Collison, College of Science

2011-2012
Daniel S. Bogaard, Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences
Bernard Peter Brooks, College of Science
Neil Hair, Saunders College of Business

2010-2011
Cara F. Calvelli, College of Science
Joseph R. Fornieri, College of Liberal Arts

2009-10
Keith B. Jenkins
James R. Vallino

2008-09
Andrew M. Herbert
James E. Moon
Hossein Shahmohamad

2007-08
Jeffrey D. Kozak
Timothy Engström
Scott A. Williams

2006-07
Roberley Bell
Chun-Keung (Stan) Hoi

2005-06
Paula Grcevic
Edith Hemaspaandra
LaVerne McQuiller Williams
Lynn Fuller

2004-05
Abieyuwa Aghayere
Robert Barbato
Douglas Manchee

2003-04
Patricia Durr
Andreas Langner
Victor Perotti

2002-03
Michael Peres
Josef Török
G. Thomas Frederick
David Suits

2001-02
David R. Neumann
Jayanti Venkataraman
Hamad Ghazle

2000-01
John T. Sanders
Hany Ghoneim
George Georgantas
Sidney L. McQuay

1999-00
Sidney Barefoot
James Campbell
Surendra (Vinnie) Gupta
Michael Yacci

1998-99
Roberley Bell
Sophia Maggelakis
James Mallory
Kenneth Reek

1997-98
Mary Louise Basile
Robert H. Rothman
Leonard Urso

1996-97
Donald Beil
Eugene Fram
Dane Gordon
Satish Kandlikar

1995-96
Jean Douthwright
Lynette Finton
Mary Sullivan

1994-95
Joan Carr
Margaret Reek
Bruce Sodervick
Thomas Upson

1993-94
Timothy Engstrom
Kyle Mattson
Douglas Merrill
Marilyn Mitchell

1992-93
Patti Ambrogi
Warren Carithers
Swaminathan Madhu
Lorna Mittelman

1991-92
James Campbell
Sally Fischbeck
Paula Grcevic
Francis Kearns

1990-91
Terry L. Dennis
Barbara J. Hodik
Raman Unnikrishnan

1989-90
Joseph Brown
Richard Doolittle
Robert Keiffer
William Nowlin

1988-89
Paul Peterson
Edward Salem
Luvon Sheppard
Philip Tyler

1987-88
Andrew Davidhazy
Frederic Gardner
Vern Lindberg

1986-87
 Charles A. Arnold Jr.
Margaret B. D'Ambruso
Maria Shustorovich
Michael Joseph Vernarelli

1985-86
Peter Haggerty
Nile Root
Carol B. Whitlock
Fred L. Wilson

1984-85
Ronald Francis
Ronald E. Jodoin
Roxanna B. (Shan) Nielsen
Thomas F. Pray

1983-84
Earl W. Fuller
Ray C. Johnson
Donna Gustina Pocobello

1982-83
Marcia Birken
Hans J. Christensen
Sarah Huff Collins
Harry G. Lang

1981-82
Patricia Ann Andre Clark
Martin A. Rennalls
Jack Slutzky
Houghton D. Wetherald

1980-81
Russell M. Gardner
E. James Meddaugh
Joseph L. Noga
Beverly J. Price

1979-80
B. Edward Cain
David A. Glocker
John T. Sanders
Richard D. Zakia

1978-79
Julie J. Cammeron
Robert L. Snyder
John S. Zdanowicz

1977-78
Herbert J. Mossien
R. Roger Remington
Edward L. Scouten
Jasper E. Shealy

1976-77
Austin J. Bonis
Ruth Gutfrucht Dickinson
Boris Mikolji
Paul H. Wojciechowski

1975-76
Loy Golladay
Earl Krakower
Anthony R. Sears

1974-75
Hobart E. Cowles
Bhalchandra V. Karlekar
Robert F. Panara
Julian Salisnjak

1973-74
Pellgrino Nazzaro
Richard Reeve

1972-73
Raymond Biehler

1971-72
Albert Rickmers
Morton Isaacs
Houghton D. Wetherald

1970-71
William Gasser
Lawrence Mothersell

1969-70
Alexander Lawson
Stanley McKenzie

1968-69
Homer Imes
Thomas Upson

1967-68
David M. Baldwin
John Carson

1966-67
Frank Clement
Robert Gilman

1965-66
Hollis Todd

1964-65
Clarence Tuites

History

Teaching excellence has been formally recognized at RIT since 1965 when the Awards for Outstanding Teaching and their accompanying ceremony were established. The scope of the awards program was broadened in 1967 to include Distinguished Young Teachers. The program was further expanded in 1975 to better recognize the diversity of RIT’s education by providing a maximum of four awards to faculty members from various educational disciplines. 

Although the program has changed, the reasons behind the awards have not: to encourage the professional growth and development of RIT faculty and to specifically recognize those members of the academic body who contribute most to enhance student learning. 

The late M. Herbert Eisenhart, former president and board chairman of Bausch & Lomb Inc., was a member of RIT’s Board of Trustees for more than 50 years. His contributions to RIT during that span were countless, and he was the recipient of the RIT Founders Award in 1971. 

His commitment to RIT was further evidenced by his generous bequest that created the M. Herbert and Elsa Bausch Eisenhart Endowment Fund, which provides permanence to the Eisenhart Awards for Outstanding Teaching as well as a major scholarship fund.