Bernstein Award for Future Faculty winner announced

LAWRENCE — The Center for Teaching Excellence named Rebecca Achen as the first recipient of the Bernstein Award for Future Faculty. CTE director Andrea Greenhoot made the announcement last month, and CTE’s former director, Dan Bernstein, presented the award.

The Bernstein Award for Future Faculty recognizes a KU graduate student who has approached teaching as inquiry into learning. The award honors a scholar who is nearing the end of a doctoral degree and who will pursue a career in academia.

A committee of CTE leaders chose Achen from a competitive field of applicants.

“The way Becky has approached teaching and researched student learning as a graduate teaching assistant at KU set her apart,” Greenhoot said. “She has an impressive record of achievements as a teacher, and she has demonstrated a mature understanding of teaching as inquiry.”

Achen completed her doctorate in health, sport, and exercise sciences. In the fall, she will begin as an assistant professor at Illinois State University.

The Bernstein Award for Future Faculty was established in 2014 in honor of Dan Bernstein, who served as CTE’s director for 12 years. For information about the award, or to contribute to it, contact Judy Eddy at the Center for Teaching Excellence.