Outstanding Faculty Leadership Award
2012 winner: Karen Hoelscher
Professor, Woodring College of Education
Since arriving at Western in 1992, Karen Hoelscher has committed herself to teaching, scholarship and community service. In 2006 Karen started co-facilitating the Western Faculty Research-Writing Series which has helped 70 tenure track faculty develop productive writing habits, set realistic goals, and find balance in their scholarly lives. As a testament to her ability to inspire others, this year’s workshop series will be comprised entirely of first-year faculty, with mentorship provided by recently-tenured alumni of the research writing series.
During her career at Woodring Karen has taught in 11 areas, including courses designed for college freshmen interested in becoming teachers and Woodring students in the K-8 certification program. She has also led many multicultural efforts, co-authoring a book on supporting student identity differences, assisting Western students at Village Books’ annual Martin Luther King Jr. “read-in,” and co-founding Woodring’s Diversity Committee.
2011 winner: Angela Harwood
Professor, Woodring College of Education
2010 winner: Daniel Larner
Professor, Fairhaven College
