At the end of the 2022 academic year, thirteen AAP faculty members received Excellence in Teaching awards for their outstanding teaching efforts and immeasurable impact on their students’ learning experiences.

AAP Faculty Recognized for Excellence in Teaching
Faculty members at the Advanced Academic Programs are among their field’s leading experts and practitioners. Their impact on a student’s learning can go beyond the classroom. Not only do faculty provide expert knowledge, but they also support students in research opportunities, industry connections, and equip students with the skills they need to succeed.

Excellence in Teaching

Communication

Dr. Jo Ellen Barnhart receives the Communication program’s Excellence in Teaching award. In course evaluations and impromptu testimonials, students commend Dr. Barnhart on her ability to provide generous and direct feedback, encouragement, and support professionally and personally. She exudes warmth and openness in her educational coursework and personal interactions. In addition, Dr. Barnhart has made great strides in facilitating redevelopment in the program’s core and elective courses.

Cultural Heritage Management

The Excellence in Teaching award goes to Dr. Angela Labrador. Cultural Heritage Management students nominated Dr. Labrador because of her immense impact on their learning over the past academic year. Dr. Labrador demonstrates her commitment to teaching and the broader heritage field. Student comments in their course evaluations praised Dr. Labrador’s teaching style as thought-provoking and described her class as fun and engaging.

Data Analytics and Policy

Raymond (Skip) Paschall is this year’s recipient of the Excellence in Teaching award for the Data Analytics and Policy program. Students consistently express their deep appreciation for his ability to make complex programming concepts accessible, and how they make use of what they’ve learned in his course to make significant career advancements. Raymond always makes time to work with students who need extra help and dedicates efforts to constantly improve the course content.

Environmental Sciences and Policy

Dr. David Curson is awarded Excellence in Teaching for the Environmental Sciences and Policy program. He has been with the program for 20 years and teaches two courses in the Principles of Ecology and Field Methods in Ecology. He is Director of Bird Conservation for Audubon Mid-Atlantic. Students attest to Dr. Curson’s exceptional teaching and rave about his passion and dedication to this field. In combination with his accomplished career experience and research, he is a valuable mentor to many students in the program.

Geographic Information Systems

The Excellence in Teaching award for the GIS program goes to Jim Blanchard. He brings over 40 years of expertise to the GIS and Environmental Science Policy programs in the area of Land.Air.Sea Robotics. Jim teaches two courses for the programs: Drones in Geospatial Analysis and Special Topics in Land.Air.Sea Robotics Field Operations. In course evaluations, students admire him as a mentor and appreciate his unwavering support to them and their studies. Jim excels as an instructor and takes students’ coursework in the field to new heights.

Global Security Studies

Nominated by students and fellow faculty members, the Global Security Studies program Excellence in Teaching award goes to Dr. Charles Larkin. He was selected for this award because of his long-standing commitment to his students. He continuously provides detailed and timely feedback on assignments and develops innovative assessments to evaluate student mastery of the course and program learning objectives. The Global Security Studies program commends Dr. Larkin on his support and dedication to ensuring the success of his students.

Government

Anthony Lang is awarded the Excellence in Teaching award for the MA in Government program. He was selected for this award because of his devotion to his students. Anthony is applauded for creating dynamic, interactive, and highly engaging learning experiences. He brings a wealth of professional experience working for many years as an attorney for the FBI into the classroom. Anthony stands out as one of the most active thesis faculty reviewers and offers thoughtful feedback that helps students improve. In course evaluations, Anthony’s students praise how he teaches complex subjects in a manner that promotes understanding.

Museum Studies

Nominated by students, Marcus Harshaw is the recipient of the Excellence in Teaching award for the Museum Studies program. Marcus is an alumnus of the JHU Museum Studies program (2015) and became a faculty member in 2019, teaching Introduction to Museum Education. Students’ evaluations and comments note that Marcus is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the subject matter and provides consistent and thoughtful feedback. He is currently Senior Director of Museum Experiences at Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. Marcus is an exceptional faculty member due to his extensive museum experience in program development, community engagement, and evaluation, along with his academic background at JHU.

Nonprofit Management

The Excellence in Teaching award for the Nonprofit Management program goes to Dr. Linda Kiltz. She is awarded for her consistent dedication to students and her excellent course, Organizational Leadership and Ethics in NGO Management. Students commend her superb instruction, strong attention to detail, and enthusiasm for this field. In addition, students value her overall support as they aspire to be leaders of social impact. The program recognizes Dr. Kiltz for her expertise, inspiration, and leadership pedagogy.

Public Management

Matt Eckel is awarded Excellence in Teaching for the Public Management program. He teaches one of the program’s required courses, Fundamentals of Quantitative Methods, and has done so both on campus and online. Matt regularly receives the highest praise from course evaluations. Students value the knowledge and field experience he consistently brought into his teaching. Students also commend his ability to facilitate interaction and communication in his course. Matt is the Director of Policy Research at the Young Invincibles, a nonprofit dedicated to elevating the voices of young people.

Research Administration

The Excellence in Teaching award for the Research Administration program goes to Dr. Jeffrey Kantor. Students admired Dr. Kantor in course evaluations for his sense of humor and his ability to make courses come to life. He began his professional career as a civilian Air Force scientist and spent the next 30 years leading teams that developed the Air Force Pilot Selection Process. His extensive field experience and knowledge translated meticulously into the courses he taught.

Science Writing

This Excellence in Teaching award for the Science Writing program goes to Sue Eisenfeld. With every course she teaches, she contributes her incredible talents as a teacher, guide, editor, and mentor. Sue has an acute ability to bring out what a student is trying to achieve in a first draft and a rare talent for helping students see the strengths and weaknesses in their work without bruising or inflating egos. In course evaluations, students praised Sue for challenging them to think beyond the obvious in their writing. She has made valuable contributions to her students and the science writing community.

Writing

Brian Price is awarded the Excellence in Teaching award for the Writing program. Nominated by students, Brian is often described as engaging, responsive, and encouraging in the classroom. His feedback to students is substantive and guiding without being too critical or discouraging. Students also noted that Brian is a constructive and organized teacher, bringing a depth of experience and knowledge to everything he does. His passion for writing is reflected in his teaching, which ultimately provides his students with a memorable learning experience.

Distinguished Professional Achievement

Writing

Each academic year, the Writing program awards a faculty member who has published a book or has had a string of publishing successes with articles or short stories. This year’s Distinguished Professional Achievement award goes to Shawn Nocher. Shawn is an alumna of the JHU MA in Writing program (2020) herself and since then has taught the Fiction Workshop and will teach the Maine residency this summer. She has successfully published two novels and multiple fiction and non-fiction short stories. Shawn’s tremendous record of achievement has earned her this recognition.

 

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