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1998 Recipients

Henry Binford

Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence

Henry C. Binford is graduate of Harvard (B.A., 1966 and Ph.D., 1973); he joined the Northwestern faculty in 1973 where he is now Associate Professor of History. Binford brings his excitement and interest in the history of urbanization, his field of scholarship, to a wide variety of students through introductory and advanced courses. Sometimes his classes feature role playing, at other times team-work, and always give students opportunities for "multiple options" and "alternative endings" in completing class assignments. His students call his classes lucid, well-organized, stimulating; he often takes his classes into Chicago for a first-hand look at urban geography, architecture, blight and renewal. Among his many activities on campus, Binford has served as a faculty associate, Associate Master and Master of Shepard Residential College. He has been Director of Undergraduate Studies in History, Director of the American Studies Program, and Director of Urban Studies Program. More recently, he participated in the Northwestern component of the national project on the Peer Support and Review of Teaching. He has been a Fellow at the National Humanities Center and at the Newberry Library; he has written and lectured widely on urbanization and suburbanization. He was previously received the Outstanding Teacher award from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Rives Collins

Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence

Rives Collins is a graduate of Colorado College (B.A., 1978) and Arizona State University (M.F.A., 1986). He joined the Northwestern faculty in 1986, where he is now Associate Professor of Theatre and holds the position in Child Drama. Collins is described as a challenging and nurturing teacher who engages his students in all levels of children's theatre. His students consistently find his courses to be creative, demanding, vibrant, and memorable; they make special note of the sense of community and safe performance environment that he creates in each class. The combination of his enthusiasm in the classroom with thoughtful reflection and attention to pedagogy and the balance of brilliance and learning with compassion and warmth make his classes extraordinary experiences for students. Collins is the Director of the Summer Drama Institute at Northwestern, regularly directs within the Chicago community, and has worked extensively with the Chicago Children's Theatre, serving as Artistic Director, and most recently, Senior Artistic Advisor; he has also worked as a professional storyteller. He has written and given numerous presentations on story-telling and related topics. Collins is a faculty associate of the Jones Fine and Performing Arts Residential College. Collins has won the Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching (1992) and the Distinguished Teaching Award from University College .

Frances Freeman Paden

Charles Deering McCormick University Distinguished Lecturer

Frances Freeman Paden is a graduate of the University of South Florida (B.A., 1964) and Northwestern University (Ph.D., 1972). She joined the faculty of Northwestern in 1989 where she is now Senior Lecturer in the Writing Program and Senior Lecturer and Associate Director of the Women's Studies Program. Paden has developed the very successful course "Writing Women's Lives" and more recently a successor course, "Women and Autobiography." She regularly teaches Expository Writing and both Intermediate and Advanced Composition, in addition to freshman seminars and the introductory Women's Studies course "Voices and Visions." Her students note that she builds their confidence while holding out high expectations for their writing and that she pays remarkable attention to their learning. She advises students through the Women's Studies Program, the Writing Program, and as a freshman adviser. Within the Writing Program, she acts as a mentor to less experienced writing instructors. She has received several grants from the Hewlett Fund for curricular innovation and has written essays, film scripts, stage scripts, and given numerous presentations on her scholarly work. Paden has been the Associate Master of the Jones Fine and Performing Residential College and has served steadily as a faculty associate of the Women's Resident College.

Lawrence H. Pinto

Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence

Lawrence H. Pinto is a graduate of Villanova University (B.E.E., 1964) and Northwestern University (Ph.D., 1970). He joined the faculty of Northwestern University in 1987 as Professor of Neurobiology and Physiology. Pinto has taught at all levels in the Undergraduate Program in Biological Sciences, most recently in the introductory course in Biology where he pioneered the honors workshop concept. Earlier, in upper level courses in neurobiology, he developed a course in which students read, discuss, write about, and present original scientific papers, rather than reading textbooks; this idea is now in wide use throughout the UPBS. At the graduate level he designed the curriculum for the Institute for Neuroscience and organized the Interdepartmental Biological Sciences Program and served as its first director. His students cite his tireless energy, his commitment to their learning, and his ability to explain both the how and the why of complicated concepts in physiology. Pinto's research is supported through grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. He is a faculty associate of the International Studies Residential College. He received the College of Arts and Sciences E. Leroy Hall Outstanding Teacher award in 1994.