Director’s Letter

Dear all,

Each spring, the multisection course directors give awards for excellence in teaching. This year, the recipient of the Marty Baker Graham, PhD Award for Excellence in Teaching Foundation Courses is Jen McClung.

Iowa State students have benefited from Jen’s thoughtful, creative, and enthusiastic approach to teaching since 2009. In her teaching philosophy, Jen writes, “I deeply value co-creation and shared knowledge within my courses. After seventeen years of teaching at ISU, I’ve grown fond of telling students I don’t have all the answers. They usually chuckle at this, but the shift they begin to make as I relinquish authority is a delightful move towards their own resourcefulness and intelligence – both individually and as a group.”

One of Jen’s nominators describes Jen’s class as “intentionally designed, warmly executed, and intellectually rigorous.” They go on to write, “In our pedagogical conversations, Jen has shared immense innovation in her 1500 and 2500 courses. She has a way of seeing directly into the learning objectives of each module and framing coursework and major assignments in ways that are contemporary and relevant to her students’ lives. This extra work pays off. Her students are excited across sections and disciplines, and engage with the world with a deeper level of critical thinking. I always leave our conversations inspired to try something new in my own 1500 and 2500 courses.” Another nominator writes, “It is clear to me from my formal observations as well as from our conversations that Prof. McClung’s motivations as a teacher are clear: she wants her students to learn about rhetoric in a deep way, in a way that will give them skills they can use for the rest of their lives.”

Please join me in congratulating Jen on this well-deserved teaching award. I am deeply grateful for her continued commitment to students’ learning and development. Her energy and enthusiasm are inspiring, as is her generosity with colleagues and students alike. Of ISUComm Foundation Courses students, Jen writes, “They contain galaxies and worlds, each and every one of them a constellation of possibility, and it is truly a privilege to be among them.” I couldn’t agree more, Jen, and I will add that it is a privilege to teach with you.

I encourage all of us–myself included–to keep Jen’s words in mind as we wrap up the semester with our students. As always, many thanks to all of you for the great work you do with students and each other.

All best,
Lesley