Levenson Teaching Prizes awarded

They could be called the “above-and-beyond-the-call-of-duty prizes.” One student described this year’s winner of the Senior Faculty Levenson Teaching Prize, Kathleen Coleman: “She looks at the facial expression of the students during lecture, and makes sure [that] if people do not appreciate something – even the tiniest piece of information – that she present it in a manner so that we do appreciate it.” The award honors Joseph R. Levenson ’41, a scholar of modern China who taught at the University of California, Berkeley, until his death in a boating accident in 1969. The prize recognizes one full professor, one assistant or associate professor, and one teaching fellow (this year shared by two) who are skilled and dedicated teachers of undergraduates. Winners are selected by the Student Affairs Committee of the Undergraduate Council, based on nominations by students. The recipients were selected from a field of nearly 300 nominees, all nominated by students for their excellence in teaching. The nominations are evaluated based on their content and the prizes are not specifically awarded on the number of nominations received by any professor or teaching fellow.Students of teaching fellow Anna Lisa Izzo (center) take her picture as her praises are sung.This year the honorees were Coleman, Harvard College Professor, professor of Latin, and director of graduate studies, who won the senior faculty award; Devesh Kapur, associate professor of government, the winner of the junior faculty prize; and Anna Lisa Izzo, Italian, and Morten Ernebjerg, physics, who shared the teaching fellow award. Recipient Coleman commented, “I am thrilled, totally thrilled, to have won this award. I cannot imagine anything more satisfying than teaching at Harvard.” – Alec Solomita