April 26, 2022

Students’ Union announces 2022 Teaching Excellence Awards winners

Carol A. Gibbons Kroeker and Guido van Marle inducted into Teaching Excellence Hall of Fame
Guido van Marle and Carol A. Gibbons Kroker
2022 Hall of Fame Award Winners Guido van Marle, left, and Carol A. Gibbons Kroker. Getsey Boyd

The Students’ Union (SU) announced yesterday the professors, instructors, and teaching assistants being honoured through the SU’s annual Teaching Excellence Awards (TEA). Awards and honourable mentions are being given to 39 exceptional members of the university community who have demonstrated their commitment to student success over the past academic year. The list of awardees includes two Hall of Fame inductees.

The annual TEA is the SU’s campus-wide recognition program giving undergraduate students the chance to honour and thank those instructors, professors, and teaching assistants who have supported and made a lasting and positive impression on their students. Students determine all nominees and winners.

“This year was, once again, a challenging one for students who moved back and forth between online and in-person delivery and faced many other COVID-related challenges,” says Renzo Pereyra, SU vice-president academic. “It has also been challenging for all those who teach.

The educators being honoured have prioritized students and committed to go above and beyond through very difficult circumstances.

"I would like to extend my congratulations to all those nominated this year.”

This year, the SU received 790 nominations and shortlisted 115 educators. Award winners will receive an Apple Award and a framed certificate. The SU will also donate $5,000 to the Taylor Centre for Teaching & Learning in recognition of the contributions made by the award winners.

The SU has been honouring teaching excellence at UCalgary since 1975, with the current format of TEA beginning in 1984. From the start, the awards were intended to give undergradaute students the opportunity to provide feedback on the quality of the university instruction they receive.

Learn more about the SU TEA program.

Teaching Excellence Award winners

  • Cumming School of Medicine: Jacques Rizkallah
  • Faculty of Arts: Eleonora Buonocore
  • Faculty of Arts: Brandy Callahan
  • Faculty of Arts: Paul Meunier
  • Faculty of Arts: Ruth Spivak
  • Faculty of Kinesiology: Ryan Peters
  • Faculty of Law: Lisa Silver
  • Faculty of Nursing: Heather Bensler
  • Faculty of Science: Erik Chan
  • Faculty of Science: Jonathan Hudson
  • Faculty of Science: Jerrod M. Smith
  • Faculty of Social Work: Kerrie Moore
  • Haskayne School of Business: Brent Snider
  • Haskayne School of Business: Dr. Michael Wright
  • Schulich School of Engineering: Kunal Karan
  • Schulich School of Engineering: Qi Zhou
  • Werklund School of Education: Catherine Burwell

Teaching assistant winners

  • Mannat Bansal
  • Graham Blyth
  • Tanisha Henry
  • Milanpreet Kaur
  • Omid Khajehdehi
  • Loïc Million
  • Kim Mikael Caldez Pasamonte
  • Steven William Sparksman
  • Ricky Tran
  • David Turnbull

Honourable mention award

  • Joy Camarao
  • Dr. Nadia Delanoy
  • Meysam Fereidouni
  • Rachel Friedman
  • Michael Holden
  • George Iskander
  • Joe Kadi
  • Janet Carmen Leahy
  • David Sigler
  • Gail Zuk

Hall of Fame awards

  • Carol A. Gibbons Kroeker
  • Guido van Marle