The Department of English Language and Literature prides itself on the skill, expertise, and dedication of our faculty. At both undergraduate and graduate levels, our faculty continue to earn college and university teaching awards in recognition of their outstanding contributions to education.
Arthur F. Thurnau Professorships
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost, this program is designed to honor those tenured faculty whose commitment to and investment in undergraduate teaching has had a demonstrable impact on the intellectual development and lives of their students.
- M Remi Yergeau (2021)
- Susan Parrish (2020)
- Megan Sweeney (2014) - Interview
- Anne Ruggles Gere (2010) - Interview
- Anne Curzan (2007) - Interview
- William R. Alexander (2003)
- John Whittier-Ferguson (2000)
- Theresa Tinkle (1998)
- June M. Howard (1995)
- Ralph G. Williams (1991)
- Eric S. Rabkin (1990)
Rackham Distinguished University Professorships
Sponsored by Rackham Graduate School, these professorships recognize senior faculty with exceptional scholarly and creative achievements, national and international reputations for academic excellence, and superior records of teaching, mentoring, and service.
- Laura Kasischke (2018)
- Valerie Traub (2016)
- David Halperin (2010)
- Linda Gregerson (2008)
- Nicholas Delbanco (2006)
- Martha Vicinus (1994)
Individual Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education
Sponsored by the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, this award recognizes faculty members who are exceptionally dedicated to the educational experiences of undergraduates, and who demonstrate this dedication through achievements and innovations in their own and others’ classrooms or academic programs. (Formerly known as the Excellence in Education Award.)
- Molly Beer (2021)
- Victor Roman Mendoza (2019)
- Ruby Tapia (2018)
- Dana Nichols (2017)
- Paul Barron (2013)
- Jeremy Chamberlin (2015)
- Trevor Douglas (2011)
- David Knuth (2010)
- Julian Levinson (2008)
- Joshua Miller (2007)
- Eileen Pollack (2005)
Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost and named in honor of Dean Emeritus of the School of Social Work, this award recognizes faculty whose service goes above and beyond their regular duties and contributes to the development of a culturally and ethnically diverse campus community.
- Petra Kuppers (2019)
- Alisse Portnoy (2017)
- Ruby Tapia (2016)
- William Alexander (2005)
Class of 1923 Memorial Teaching Award | College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Sponsored by the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, recipients selected by the College Executive Committee have demonstrated outstanding teaching during their first years on the faculty. While this award recognizes teaching, it is only given to individuals whose achievements and promise auger well for a productive career as a scholar.
- Antoine Traisnel (2021)
- Aliyah Khan (2020)
- Gillian White (2014)
- Megan Sweeney (2010)
- Laura Kasischke (2008)
- Yopie Prins (2008)
- John Whittier-Ferguson (1994)
- Maria Stanton (1987)
- Ralph G Williams (1974)
John Dewey Award
Sponsored by the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, the John Dewey Award recipients are selected each year by the College Executive Committee from among those recommended for promotion from associate professor to full professor with tenure. Award recipients have demonstrated long-term commitment to the education of undergraduate students.
- Catherine Sanok (2018)
- Susan Scott Parrish (2016)
- Anne Curzan (2012)
- Adela Pinch (2011)
Matthews Underclass Teaching Award
Sponsored by the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, this award recognizes faculty members who are enthusiastically interested in and highly dedicated to undergraduate education. Those awarded are selected on the basis of their outstanding contributions to teaching, the intellectual rigor of their courses, and their ability to inspire a sense of wonder and excitement in their students.
- Lisa Makman (2021)
- Lisa Makman (2020)
- Jeremy Chamberlin (2014)
- Keith Taylor (2008)
- Geoffrey Bankowski(2005)
- Eileen Pollack (2004)
- Ifeoma Nwankwo (2003)
- Georhe Cooper (2000)
- Merla Wolk (1997)
- Lillian Back (1991)
- Richard Meisler (1985)
- Ejner Jensen (1982)
John H. D'Arms Faculty Award for Distinguished Graduate Mentoring
Sponsored by Rackham Graduate School, these awards honor John H. D’Arms, Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs (1985-1995). They recognize tenured faculty who are outstanding mentors of doctoral students in the humanities, who support their intellectual, creative, scholarly, and professional growth, and foster a culture of intellectual engagement in which they thrive.
- Megan Sweeney (2021)
- Victor Mendoza (2020)
- Marjorie Levinson (2018)
- Patricia Yaeger (2014)
- Anne Hermann (2008)
- Martha Vicinus (2007)
- Valerie Traub (2006)
- Michael Schoenfeldt (2004)
- Richard Bailey (2001)
- George Bornstein (2000)
- Anne Gere (1997)
- Enoch Brater (1996)
Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award
Sponsored by Rackham Graduate School, this award honors senior faculty who have consistently demonstrated outstanding achievements in the areas of scholarly research and/or creative endeavors, teaching and mentoring of students and junior faculty, service and related activities that have brought distinction to themselves and to the University of Michigan.
- Susan Parrish (2020)
- Peter Davies (2018)
- Eileen Pollack (2016)
- Sidonie Smith (2015)
- Laura Kasiscke (2013)
- Patricia Yaeger (2011)
- Valerie Traub (2010)
- Laurence Goldstein (2007)
- Enoch Brater (2006)
- Eric Rabkin (2005)
- June Howard (2004)
- Robert Lewis (2002)
- Tobin Siebers (2001)
- Jonathan Freedman (2001)
- Linda Gregerson (2000)
- Anne Gere (1998)
- Nicholas Delbanco (1996)
- George BornStein (1993)
- Richard Bailey (1989)
- Martha Vicinus (1987)
