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Nsofor honored for Core Curriculum excellence The University Core Curriculum named Margaret N. Nsofor as the outstanding faculty member for 2002. Nsofor, a lecturer in zoology, received a plaque and a $500 award at an Oct. 17 reception. The provost's office sponsors the awards. Nsofor, who received her doctorate in microbiology from Mississippi State University, has been at the University since 1999. She teaches Zoology 115, a Core Curriculum course for nonmajors, and Zoology 118 for majors, teaching a couple of hundred students every semester. In the nominating letter, William L. Muhlach, chair of zoology, singled out Nsofor for her dedication to the students and the fact she makes herself available to them and seeks out students whose performance has changed negatively. She has done a "splendid" job of integrating the laboratory and lecture sections of the courses, making them interactive. Nsofor's other achievements include developing a course that embraces the Core Curriculum values as well as assessing how students learn in her classes and developing changes. Other nominees were Anne Fletcher, assistant professor, theater; Janet M. Fuller, assistant professor, linguistics; Robert A. Hahn, professor, philosophy; Meera Komarraju, lecturer, psychology; Thomas M. Mitchell, associate professor, economics. The outstanding graduate students teaching in the Core Curriculum are Lucian Stone, a doctoral student in philosophy, and Joanne Docherty-Goldstein, a doctoral student in history. Each receive a plaque and a $250 cash award. James S. Allen, professor of history and director of the University Core Curriculum, said Stone has been nominated before. "He is a really remarkable person for his expertise in middle Eastern philosophy," he said. "His command of Arabic languages allows him to read original religious texts. "He is the University's leading authority on Islam, which is remarkable being that he's a graduate assistant." Docherty-Goldstein received the outstanding graduate assistant award last spring, which made her eligible for the Core Curriculum nomination. Allen said her approachability comes from being a first-generation college student herself and having a keen feeling for students' concerns. "The importance of these award winners is that all of them have devoted a great amount of time and attention to the teaching of entry-level students," Allen said. - Michelle Cunningham October 23, 2002