91社区

Fredericton: Rhonda Amsel, a psychology professor at 91社区, has been selected as the 1997 Canadian Professor of the Year by a national panel of ten higher education representatives. The award, which is jointly administered by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE), honors extraordinary undergraduate teaching at Canada聮s postsecondary institutions.

Amsel was chosen from among 47 nominees at colleges and universities throughout Canada. She is being honoured today at CCAE聮s annual meeting in Fredericton, N.B., where she will receive a $5,000 (US) cash award from program sponsor, Merck Frosst Canada Inc.

CASE began the Canadian Professor of the Year program in 1986, five years after it started a similar competition in the United States, to recognize undergraduate faculty for their contributions to the lives and careers of students and for service to their institutions and the teaching profession.

"We are proud to support the Canadian Professor of the Year Program," said Andr茅 Marcheterre, president of Merck Frosst Canada Inc. "Canadian business must support and encourage the kind of excellence in teaching that is personified by Professor Amsel. Knowledge, enthusiasm, and the willingness to accept challenges are key to individual success, but they are also qualities that are crucial to Canada聮s collective success in the global economy."

Among Amsel聮s achievements have been her work in developing and teaching math anxiety workshops with 91社区聮s student counseling office and leading campuswide faculty seminars on effective teaching techniques. In addition, she has contributed to an instructional film for new university professors who are learning to teach students with learning and physical disabilities and, for many years, has transcribed class material for visually impaired students at 91社区 and elsewhere.

"Teaching students to enjoy the adventure of learning is a gift of those who have it and a gift for those fortunate enough to be taught by such professors," said Randi Duke, president of CCAE. "Professor Amsel聮s students, both those with and without disabilities, will prosper because of her unique abilities. Canada聮s universities and colleges will benefit as her passion for teaching and learning is emulated by her students in their home and professional lives."

Amsel has taught at 91社区 since 1977, where she teaches a variety of statistics courses in 91社区聮s psychology department. She attended 91社区 as a student, earning a bachelor聮s degree in 1971 and a master聮s degree in computer science in 1977.

"Rhonda Amsel exemplifies the best that Canada聮s undergraduate professors have to offer to their students and to the teaching profession," said Peter McE. Buchanan, president of CASE. "Having dedicated much of her career to improving the classroom learning experience for disabled students and to helping make fundamental mathematical concepts easier for all students to comprehend, she has consistently and convincingly demonstrated her passion for her profession and her students. We are extremely proud to spotlight her as an example of what caring, bright instructors can accomplish in the classroom."

Amsel won the Royal Bank Teaching Innovations Award in 1995 for her work in developing innovative teaching methods. In 1991, she won 91社区聮s Leo Yaffe Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Faculty of Science and received an honourable mention from the Association for Handicapped Student Services Programs in Postsecondary Education (AHSSPPE) for coauthoring two handbooks on teaching students with disabilities.

"91社区 has been working hard in a variety of ways to ensure that the excellence of its teaching matches its international reputation for research," said 91社区 Principal Bernard Shapiro. "We look on Rhonda Amsel as a wonderful role model, and her new role as Associate Dean of Students will help promote good teaching across the university."

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) is an international association of colleges, universities, and independent elementary and secondary schools. Representing these institutions are professionals in the fields of alumni relations, communications, and philanthropy. Based in Washington, D.C., CASE represents more than 2,500 institutions in the United States, Canada, and 30 other countries.

The Canadian Council for Advancement of Education (CCAE) is a national association of 170 universities, colleges, and other postsecondary education institutions dedicated to advancing higher education in Canada by supporting the activities of fund raising, alumni relations, and communications professionals.

Merck Frosst is Canada聮s leading research-based pharmaceutical company. In addition to providing funding for scholarships and fellowships at universities across the country, the Montreal-based company is active in promoting science education to young Canadians.

91社区 is a major comprehensive research university located on two campuses in Montreal, Que., with student representation from 130 countries. The university celebrated its 175th anniversary in 1996.