Tola Porter, a PhD candidate in the department, specializing in modern public sculpture from the mid-to-late twentieth century, has been chosen as a recipient of the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence for 2019-2020. This award recognizes superb performance by a graduate student in the instruction of Arts & Sciences undergraduates. Across six semesters, Tola has served as course assistant, section leader, and instructor of record for a variety of courses in the department of Art History and Archaeology, teaching 200 undergraduate students in all. She has actively pursued professional development in teaching, earning certificates in Leading Engaging Discussion, Strategies for Inclusive Teaching, Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement, and Managing Imposter Syndrome through workshops in The Teaching Center. She identifies designing her own version of IMAAD (Introduction to Modern Art, Architecture, and Design), taught during the summer of 2019, as the highlight of her work in the classroom.
Tola summarizes her teaching philosophy with the simple phrase, "Passion is engaging," a theme that is borne out in comments from her students noting that her enthusiasm for the subject matter is contagious and made their learning experience exciting and inspiring. Tola was nominated for this award last spring, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic it was not announced until this past March: a long-delayed but much deserved honor. Congratulations, Tola!
