Awards Night: A Thank You Note To Many
It was an honor to receive the University of Iowa President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence last week during the annual faculty and staff awards banquet.
Recognition like this is not earned without significant support from others, and I want to do my best to thank the many people who played a part in this award:
Thank you,
To my wife, Bridget, who is not only my greatest supporter but also my most frequent collaborator. As a dedicated and creative educator, Bridget is the source of many brilliant ideas that make their way into my teaching.
To my parents, George and Mary Lou, who are my constant role models.
To my faculty mentor, Professor Mike Teague, who nominated me for the award and has patiently counseled me as I have developed professionally at Iowa.
To my Departmental Executive Officers: Kevin Kregel, Kelly Cole and Warren Darling. Kevin, Kelly and Warren have provided an environment in which I could grow professionally, and they have always trusted me to pursue new and creative program initiatives.
To my students. Thank you for engaging during classes, for sharing your internship and job search experiences with me, for taking part in all of the field trips and practicums that I have led you on, and for staying connected. The greatest part of teaching is when students graduate and our relationships continue to grow as friends and colleagues. A special thank you to the several students and alumni who wrote letters of support for my nomination for this award.
To my sport industry friends and colleagues, who have been so generous in accommodating the field trips and practicums that I have led students on over the years.
To the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences administration, especially Associate Dean Helena Dettmer and Executive Associate Dean Raul Curto, who have been so supportive of the Sport & Recreation Management program and my role in the program.
To my faculty colleague Serina Sulentic, with whom I have collaborated to create experiences combining her graphic design students and my sport management students to tackle real-world sport management projects that lead to impressive student outcomes.
To my faculty colleagues Patrick “Packy” Moran and Anna Jensen. Packy and Anna’s collaborative spirit and vision helped me see what was possible in experiential learning and inspired many practicum courses that I have had a hand in developing.
To my former sport industry mentors at the New York Yankees, NCAA and Chicago Cubs, especially Mark Newman, the late George Steinbrenner, Stephanie Hannah, David Price and Chuck Wasserstrom. Each had a profound influence on my professional development at different stages of my career before I transitioned into academia, and I continue to refer back regularly to lessons learned under their guidance.
To those from the Provost’s Office and President’s Office who served on the committee that so thoughtfully considered the many worthy Lecturer candidates for the award this year.
There are certainly many others who helped me reach this point in my career, and I am grateful to everyone who has supported me in various ways over the years. Evenings such as the awards banquet inspire me to continue striving to deliver creative educational opportunities for students and helping students transition successfully into the sport industry.
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