UW-Whitewater professor chosen to receive top UW System teaching award
(Published Saturday, September 22, 2007 12:26:12 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Carla McCann cmccann@gazetteextra.com
WHITEWATER-When Lois Smith received an e-mail that she'd received the most prestigious award given by the University of Wisconsin system, she thought someone had made a mistake.
The UW-Whitewater marketing professor was sure the e-mail was intended for someone else, she said.
"I had to read it several times," Smith said.
It wasn't a mistake.
Smith, a longtime Janesville resident, was awarded the Board of Regents Teaching Excellence Award.
"It's considered the top teaching award," said Christine Clements, dean of the College of Business and Economics.
Lois Smith
And it couldn't have gone to a more deserving person, Clements said.
"I could list activities forever that she has been involved with that has to do with students," Clements said. "Lois would have a longer list than anyone I know. What's so amazing is that she wouldn't know how to be any other way. She is so committed to teaching and learning. It's part of who she is."
Smith was nominated for the Regents Award by Interim Chancellor Richard Telfer and was chosen over 27 other UW-System faculty nominees.
Unlike Smith, Clements wasn't surprised.
The award recognizes the best teacher, and she had to be the one to win, Clements said.
Smith has had an extraordinary career in the teaching arena, Clements said.
"Teaching is one of the loves of her life," Clements said.
For Smith, the Regents Award comes on the heels of earning UW-Whitewater's highest teaching honor in 2006, the W.P. Roseman Excellence in Teaching Award. She also received the University Academic Advising Award.
Since beginning her career at UW-Whitewater in 1982, Smith has learned to embrace a broad learning environment.
Initially, she believed that knowledge was to be shared within the boundaries of a classroom, Smith said.
"I've learned over time that teaching extends far beyond those boundaries," Smith said. "Some of the most rewarding experiences for students and faculty occurs outside of a classroom. I wish that I had known earlier on that those opportunities were there."
One of Smith's most rewarding teaching experiences was through the study abroad exchange program with the Arnhem Business School in the Netherlands. She has coordinated the program for more than a decade.
"I've watched many transformations," Smith said.
She has seen students leave the Whitewater campus unsure of their decision to travel so far from home and afraid of the unknown, Smith said.
"I've seen them be afraid, but also to have the courage to take risks. I've seen them grow. Sometimes, they have returned so changed that if I wasn't watching I wouldn't have known them," Smith said.
On the home front, Smith and her husband, Greg, find much to talk about. He is an assistant dean at UW-Madison. The couple have one son, who is married and lives out of state.
The most exciting new learning concept for Smith now unfolding on campus is the creation of learning communities that group students for their freshmen year. They live in the same residence halls, take three classes together the first semester and two classes the second semester.
"The idea is that they connect to campus more quickly and feel more comfortable within an automatic group of friends," Smith said. "They also have contact with the business faculty."
"I can't imagine a career more fulfilling than teaching at UW-Whitewater," Smith said. "It's a perfect place for me."
And for UW-Whitewater, it's been a perfect match.
Smith's objectives
While Lois Smith has grasped opportunities to expand her teaching and learning boundaries, she also tries to keep six objectives in mind for all students-no matter where their classrooms may be.
The objectives are to teach them:
1. So that they can teach themselves.
2. So they can learn from each other.
3. To be open to new ideas, to want to learn.
4. To question what they know.
5. To take on challenges, to go beyond their level of comfort.
6. So that they are ready for the world of work but also for life outside of work.
