Ashok Bidwai — Student Sanity Superstar
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Bidwai went above and beyond to make sure all his students were at their best throughout the semester. He continued live instruction through Zoom, at normal class hours, so class discussion and full participation could still take place. As well, while most professors changed to multiple choice exams since it was "online," Bidwai continued using the full exam format which includes short answers and diagrams, so that students of all learning types had equal success. This meant more work for him, but he did it with enthusiasm!
Daniel Brewster — "Be Well" Salutation Aficionado
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
I cannot begin to express the strength, compassion and thoughtfulness that Professor Brewster has put into each lecture. Such aspects were always present but became all the more evident after the transition to online learning. As a sociologist, he was keenly aware of the multitude of issues this pandemic would bring about and always advocated on our behalf. Fighting for the most enriching and equitable learning experience, he ensured no student would fall behind due to a lack of broadband access, which is why he modified his lecture styles to our benefit — to ensure each of us was given the education we deserved. Each week began with a heartfelt email, a reminder reiterating his understanding for each student's uniquely difficult situation. He was vulnerable, sharing its impact on his own life; he was authentic, relatable and was on our level. Each email ended with "be well," a salutation we all so desperately needed amidst these troubling times. Whether it was a simple salutation or a short poem, the dedication to each student's well-being and academic success were always paramount and never neglected. WVU is fortunate to have such a formidable professor inspiring Mountaineers.
Nancy Caronia —Queen of Online Instruction
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Caronia was so gracious and understanding in this online transition. For some students in her class, this is an incredibly stressful, hectic time, and she fully recognizes that. In addition to sending us weekly emails that are succinct and easy to follow, she altered the course assignments to fit the online restrictions and made herself as available as possible to meet with her students and answer questions. All in all, I don't think that Dr. Caronia could have made this online instruction and the unprecedented changes look any more effortless.
Amy Coburn — COVID-19 Queen
School of Nursing
My favorite teacher, and now one of my role models — from being an obviously amazing nurse, to a caring and supportive teacher, to making us laugh every time she yelled "COVID NINETEEEEEEEEN" during live class...and straight up telling it like it is to anyone.
Andrew Dacks — More Than OK Zoomer
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
When the COVID-19 pandemic fear reached new heights in March, Andrew took fantastic measures to ensure that all of the lab members were doing okay at home. He has organized daily Zoom meetings where we could all just pass through while drinking morning coffee and chat. He also scheduled weekly meetings with each of us to check in and update us with important information regarding the University. Andrew has also extended numerous offers to take us to grocery stores and providing us with the proper resources to stay healthy mentally and physically during this time. He has been very understanding of our reduced productivity during this time of stress and has been a beacon of hopefulness that we can return to research this summer.
Danielle Davidov — Most Compassionate Soul
School of Public Health
This semester has been the hardest of my life and without Dr. Davidov’s support, I don’t know if I would’ve made it through. I’ve had two close friends who passed away in a car accident at different times and my mom got diagnosed with cancer. I immediately felt like I could tell her anything as she always makes sure to let her students know that they will always be safe with her. She helped me form a plan to complete the semester and graduate, and with her support, I felt confident I could still accomplish my goals despite the intense grief I was experiencing! One of my heroes! She really inspired me.
Dan Defeo — Yoda
School of Nursing
Dan is by far the best instructor many of us have had throughout school. Not only is he filled with knowledge and a great teacher, he truly cares about the success of each and every student and getting to know us. His office is always open, and he goes above and beyond to ensure we comprehend material and are prepared for our nursing career post-grad. I have learned more in his course than any other class. He is the kind of teacher everyone in education should strive to be.
Emily Dennis — Pro Zoomer
Chambers College of Business and Economics
Emily really utilized the Zoom software to the fullest of its ability, in order to help us get the most out of our online classes. She used several functions/features of Zoom that I was unaware of. While online classes were more difficult to completely focus on, she incorporated small segments of the "breakout" feature, as well as other games and things to keep us all engaged.
Barbara Douglas — Angel from Heaven
WVU School of Nursing - Beckley Campus
Barb always speaks positively to us about passing the NCLEX. She clearly invests so much time into preparing nursing students and she truly has the “no student left behind” mentality. She is always available to talk about anything and has been a true blessing to nursing students! Please consider her hard work and dedication for this award!
Erin Ellis — Patient Cello Queen
College of Creative Arts
Dr. Ellis did a lot to make sure the whole WVU studio was alright during this time. During lessons she would always check in on how we're doing and would always be super supportive and accommodating. She also held virtual cello studio office hours where we could ask questions or just talk and have fun and get a chance to take our minds off the craziness of the world. She also has been a great example of how to be a creative musician during this time by posting her own creative cello music videos. It's been an honor to work with her.
Kimeran Evans — Care Coordinator
School of Medicine
Dr. Evans has been very active in communication through these ever-changing times. Each week she reaches out with a “Monday Morning Round-Up” to update us with academic news regarding our overall program or her class specifically. She also scheduled many reviews before exams to keep us engaged and accountable for the material presented via Sole. She communicates with us as a group before and after reviews about how we are doing and if there is anything she can do to help during this online learning experience. Myself having a hard time during this transition to online classes, she has made it much easier knowing that we have someone in our faculty keeping us in mind and updated as much as possible.
Dan Follmer — Statistics Sensei
College of Education and Human Services
Dr. Follmer is without a doubt the best statistics instructor I have ever had and definitely one of the best, if not the best overall teacher from whom I have had the pleasure of learning. He presents complex material in a parsimonious and easily understood manner and is incredibly thoughtful. Our class took place on Thursday evenings from 4-7, and he always brought food for us, was willing to stay later than necessary to help us work through things that may have been confusing us, and was extremely accessible if we needed him outside of class time. As we transitioned online, his supporting materials and videos made it seem as if we were still in class.
Christopher Griffin — eCampus Adapter
Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
Dr. Griffin's intro to Aerospace Engineering class was the only class I looked forward to during online instruction. He was very consistent and adaptive for the best outcome of the students. He made lectures engaging and fun, and he recorded the lecture so we could go back and study them. He made an important part that we understand that his class isn't going to be dumbed down due to the circumstances, because we represent our school and want to be the best engineers we can be.
Jessica Haught — Most Compassionate
College of Law
Dean Haught exemplifies the Mountaineer spirit. During times of hard, she didn't crumble. During times of uncertainty, she didn't despair. During this time, she has been a rock for me and many others Without her, I suspect, I would have just given up. Thank you, Dean Haught. You are easily the best professor I have had yet.
Sharon Hayes — Above and Beyond
College of Education and Human Services
Sharon Hayes has been my professor for the past six semesters at WVU. She has quite literally gone "above and beyond" every single semester. The program that I am currently in is phasing out. Next year will be the last year for the program. Dr. Sharon Hayes has dedicated her time at WVU to ensuring that we have the best experience possible, and I do not say this lightly. Over the past year, our program has gone under a lot of changes, but she has made sure that none of us ever fell through the cracks. After the director of our program left in the beginning of Fall 2019, Sharon stepped up to take over the program. Although this was not in Sharon’s job description, she had known us since sophomore year, and she knew the program the best, so she decided that she was the one for the job. As one can imagine, after being told that our program director had left, all of us were very confused as to what that would mean for us as we are finishing our last two semesters in the program; however, Dr. Hayes took the program over and guided us in figuring out how to apply for our teacher certifications and helped us prepare for our Teacher Performance Assessments all on top of her regular teaching course load. Have you ever had a teacher where you ask the question, “Do they sleep in the school?” Dr. Hayes is that teacher. I will wake up to an email at 12:00 a.m. from her with feedback… and I mean a lot of feedback on my lesson plans and papers. I’ve had to remind her to remember to eat and sleep over the weekend and tell her that she wasn’t allowed to send any late emails late at night because she, too, deserves a break. I swear she never stops, but Sharon has never once asked for praise for all the hard work that she has done, which is exactly why I believe that she deserves to be nominated for the Teaching MVP Awards.
Wade Huebsch – Wonder Wade
Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
He taught with exceptional clarity and still worked meaningful examples despite being online. He kept class participation going and was excellent at answering questions via chat or voice. He stopped frequently to ensure that we had time to ask questions and/or fully grasp the concepts he was teaching. He coped excellently with giving homework, exams and quizzes, administering them in a secure manner that still allowed us to receive a grade based on our knowledge of the course content, not just our ability to fill out an answer box correctly. Overall, Dr. Huebsch was an exceptional instructor.
Kevin Knoster — Most Relatable
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Throughout the course, even with 150+ students, he cared and wanted to get to know every one of them! He was the most understanding teacher I’ve had at WVU, and people can learn a lot not only through his teaching but also by who he is.
Lisa Lisauckis — The Zen Zoomer
School of Dentistry
Not only is Ms. Lisauckis a great teacher, she is also genuinely concerned about our well being. She goes out of her way to be available to all of us and is always checking on our stress levels and reminding us to breathe. Every Zoom session, she asks how we are all doing and offers to stay on after class if anyone needs to talk. She makes our Zoom class something to look forward to in such a strange time.
Macarena Llamas — Best Spanish Teacher
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
This instructor was the best Spanish teacher that I have had since attending college. She is extremely patient and wonderful at explaining/teaching a new language. Since campus has been closed, she has made sure to keep me and my peers up to date on all of the course information and more than helpful with assistance. She always answers emails back fast and finds creative ways of teaching - like her slides, practice questions and study games. Any time that I had trouble understanding, she was very helpful and made me feel more confident in the new language.
Randy McCombie — Professor Encourager
School of Medicine
To me, Dr. McCombie has been the most positive, kind, caring, and genuinely involved professor throughout this Covid process and the semester as a whole. He has truly gone out of his way to offer support and encouragement to us amidst a storm of bad news and disappointment. I think I speak for my entire class when I say we all really felt like we could go to him with any concern at all, because he told us we could so many times! His frequent emails and positive outlook have given me something to look forward to each and every week. He has very much lifted our spirits and has become so dear to us.
Bremansu Osa-Andrews — The Online Learning Hero
Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
Dr. Osa has gone above and beyond for his students this semester. At first I was very nervous about transitioning this course online as it is already a very challenging course. Dr. Osa made sure everybody knew what was going on and how we were going to continue for the rest of the semester. He frequently sends us very detailed emails about what we have due and what he expects from us. He is very involved with his students, and it makes online classes so much easier when the professor still WANTS to help. Dr. Osa has been great with helping accommodate students during this tough and stressful time. When his students need more time to complete something because of technical issues, he handles the problem quickly and extends the time available for us to complete the assignment. He really wants us to learn as much as we can, and he has been more helpful than he probably knows. Not to mention this is his first semester at WVU teaching this upper-level class. He is doing a wonderful job. He is so compassionate toward his students and truly wants the best for us. I am so glad that I have him as a professor this semester. He has made biochemistry a class that I enjoy! He deserves any award that would signify his achievements as an AMAZING (last-minute) online instructor!
Joshua Osbourn — The G.O.A.T
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Osbourn transitioned extremely well to online learning. I believe that his online instruction offered the same level of learning as his in-class instruction, which I believe to be extremely well done. He is by far the best and most helpful instructor that I have ever had when it comes to offering practice outside of class and making sure that all questions can be answered. His clear guidelines and weekly emails made lab and lecture go surprisingly well after the online transition.
Trina Perrone — Periodic Chem Master
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Professor Perrone has by far done more than ever expected or required of her to make sure that her classes can still succeed. Between online lectures we can watch and rewatch, consistent study guides, and her continued support through this pandemic, I can definitely say that she deserves this the most!
Brian Scaife — True OT - Adapted and Overcame
School of Medicine
Dr. Scaife went above and beyond to locate, organize and re-place students in fieldwork sites after we were all pulled due to COVID-19. Because of his dedication and hard work, many students were able to begin their rotation as soon as possible once allowed by the University, and others that needed new placements were found new sites quickly, again reducing the delay students had to endure. Dr. Scaife's efforts helped all of the OT 2020 class to get back on the path to graduation, NBCOT, and their careers!
Travis Stimeling — Music History's Own Apollo
College of Creative Arts
During these trying times, Dr. Stimeling has offered all of his students support and understanding. He always made it known in class how much he cared for us and our education, but these past six weeks have made it more clear than ever. Not only that, but through all of this, he still continued to nurture my love for music history, helping me discover one of my greatest passions. I owe a lot to Dr. Stimeling for all that he's done to make this time more comfortable for everyone!
Stephanie Young — Coolest Prof Ever
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Young was understanding about internet issues, sent out extra homework reminders, and made the switch to online class easy as pie. Her efforts to accommodate all her Bio 118 students showcase how hard she works to help her students and how caring she is. She responds quickly to emails and sends out weekly communications about quizzes, homework, etc.