Nineteen Ohio State faculty have been honored this spring as recipients of the 2000 Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching, the Distinguished Scholar Award and the Faculty Award for Distinguished University Service. They received their awards at an April 25 reception and banquet.

The awards are supported by the offices of Academic Affairs and Research, The Ohio State University Alumni Association and private donations to the University.

Alumni Award for

Distinguished Teaching

The Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching honors faculty members who have done a superior job of teaching. Recipients are nominated by students and colleagues, and are chosen by a committee of alumni, students and faculty.

They receive a cash award of $3,000 and a $1,200 increase in their base salaries. Teaching award recipients also are inducted into the Academy of Teaching, which provides leadership on improving teaching at Ohio State.

Douglas A. Berman

Since arriving at Ohio State in 1997, Berman has become known for his caring, committed approach to working with students, particularly those in their first year of law school. A magna cum laude Harvard Law School graduate and former practicing attorney in New York, Berman came to Ohio State "for one reason,"a nominating student wrote. "He wanted to share his experience and impressive intellect with young law students."He has created numerous supplemental teaching materials to complement casebooks and other texts, and created all the materials for his course in criminal punishment and sentencing and his seminars on advanced sentencing and the death penalty. His teaching style is described as "comfortable and conversational,"as well as "organized and efficient."Berman graduated summa cum laude in philosophy from Princeton University.

Alan D. Beyerchen

This is not the first time Beyerchen has been honored for his outstanding teaching. In the last four years, he also has received the Roudica Botoman Award for outstanding teaching in the College of Humanities, the history department's Clio Award and the Ohio Academy of History's Outstanding Teacher Award. Known for engaging students even in large lecture classes, Beyerchen is praised by students for his "dynamism, versatility, and enthusiasm for teaching"that are "second to none."In addition to teaching courses ranging from introductory levels to required and elective graduate courses, Beyerchen is active in research and service to his discipline. He is the author of the award-winning Scientists under Hitler: Politics and the Physics Community in the Third Reich. A three-time graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, he has served on the Ohio State faculty since 1978.

Michael J. Boehm

Students and faculty speak to the teaching strengths of Boehm, who combined 10 years as a U.S. Army Reserve combat field medic with a series of educational and professional appointments before joining Ohio State's faculty in 1996. Known for his accessibility and motivating lectures, Boehm teaches three courses that have seen a roughly 50 percent increase in enrollment since his arrival -- which colleagues attribute to his "reputation as a demanding but caring instructor."Boehm also is lauded as a leader in instructional innovations, such as development of Internet-based student resource centers and incorporation of "real-world"practicums into his courses. He has been recognized for his teaching several times, most recently with his college's 1999 Rodney F. Plimpton Outstanding Young Teacher Award. He received his bachelor's degree from Heidelberg College and his master's and doctoral degrees in plant pathology from Ohio State.

Antoinette Errante

Assistant Professor, School of Educational Policy and Leadership, College of Education

A popular adviser and teacher, Errante offers her students challenging instruction in comparative education and the history of education combined with a strong commitment to meet students' collective and individual needs. "At all times, through the thick and thin of academic rigor, Dr. Errante has made me feel that she and I are in this bittersweet experience together, always working as a team,"a nominating student wrote. A faculty member since 1993, she received teaching awards from both the College of Education and the School of Educational Policy and Leadership during the 1998-99 academic year, the first year those awards were granted, and has been recognized as an outstanding teacher by the Office for Disability Services. She also is an active researcher, developing a national reputation for expertise on school violence. A graduate of Georgetown University, Errante earned her master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Minnesota.

Allison B. Gilmore

Recognized with both outstanding faculty teaching and outstanding faculty scholar awards at Ohio State-Lima, Gilmore is credited as being instrumental in Lima's movement toward offering a history major on the campus. She has worked to build the campus's history offerings and expand its library holdings in history. Supported by both students and faculty, Gilmore is described by one nominator as a "natural teacher"who "loves history and loves teaching history."A specialist in military history, Gilmore teaches courses in American history, the Vietnam War and World War II, and comparative Asian civilizations. Her first book, You Can't Fight Tanks with Bayonets: Psychological Warfare against the Japanese Army in the Southwest Pacific, was published two years ago. An Ohio State faculty member since 1991, she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and her Ph.D. from Ohio State.

Paulette D. Pierce

An influential teacher and colleague, Pierce is considered an excellent teacher whose broad knowledge consistently motivates students to want to know more. "She is exceptional because she teaches with passion,"a nominator wrote. An instructor at all levels, from the large lecture class to graduate courses, she also has served as the department's Honors adviser and as an undergraduate major adviser. Colleagues consider her a valuable resource on pedagogy in the department, and laud her for revitalizing existing courses -- so much so that new courses are created. She received her bachelor's degree from Hunter College in New York, and her master's in philosophy and Ph.D. in sociology from the City University of New York. She served on the Queens College faculty before joining Ohio State in 1991.

Linn D. Van Woerkom

The positive evaluations from nonphysics majors who take Van Woerkom's sequence of first-year physics courses primarily attended by students in health care-related fields demonstrate his ability to develop the course series into a "dynamic vehicle for learning,"according to a nominator. His students praise his accessibility -- especially during office hours, when the room typically is filled to capacity with students and the instructor sharing information. Van Woerkom uses computer presentations and live demonstrations to show both the high-tech and hands-on natures of physics. His service also is extensive. He is an active participant in the Honors program, speaks at primary and secondary schools, develops curricula and modifies classroom demonstrations. In addition, he maintains an active program of research in the field of short-pulse lasers. An Ohio State faculty member since 1992, he earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in physics from the University of Southern California.

R. Vladimir Steffel

Steffel is Ohio State-Marion's longest-serving faculty member, having taught at the campus since 1968. His commitment to teaching is evident in his ready availability for questions and discussion, and his willingness even to change the time and location of a course to help students. Beyond serving as the Marion campus Honors program director and chair of the Honors Opportunities Committee for many years, he also has raised funds to support the Honors program. In addition to Honors courses, he teaches a wide range of history courses, from the introductory level to senior capstone classes. "Pound for pound, his courses offer the student the best educational deal around,"a nominator wrote. "He's a hard teacher, certainly, but he works for the students just as hard as we work to make the grade."He holds bachelor's degrees from both Case Western Reserve University and Ohio State, as well as master's and doctoral degrees from Ohio State.

Howard P. Marvel

Nominators say Marvel "has had an indelible impact on the lives of many Ohio State students. He has made a real difference to these students, and that's what being a good teacher is all about."He is widely known and praised for his infectious enthusiasm about economics, his high standards for his own performance as well as his students', and his continuing guidance of students long past their enrollment in his classes. Colleagues note he has developed new courses, volunteered to add Honors seminars to his teaching load, used multimedia technologies to supplement lectures, and invested much of his time to student recruitment for his department. A faculty member since 1973, he has maintained an active research career and served on numerous departmental and University committees. Marvel is a graduate of Indiana University and received his master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

Lisa C. Florman

Celebrated for earning some of her department's strongest-ever student evaluations, Florman is noted for combining a performance approach to teaching with solid scholarship and unconventional in-depth analyses with her students. She teaches a wide range of courses, including ancient and modern portions of the art history survey, and Honors sections of both courses. In addition, a former student describes her seminars as "once-in-a-lifetime opportunities"recognized as a valuable resource by students from many departments, as well as professionals such as faculty, museum administrators and gallery owners. Florman also is an emerging expert on Picasso; her book Myth and Metamorphoses: Picasso's "Classical"Prints of the 1930s will be published this spring. A graduate of the University of Virginia, she earned an M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Columbia University before joining Ohio State's faculty in 1994.

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