Celebrating Distinguished Leadership in the College and Conservatory

Five Oberlin faculty members received Excellence in Teaching Awards for the 2023-24 academic year.

Presented annually, the awards recognize faculty in the college and conservatory who have demonstrated distinctive excellence in pedagogy and student mentorship. 

Though they teach within widely varied disciplines, the honorees share deep dedication to students’ critical thinking and creativity. The honorees have been selected by their divisional faculty councils for their exemplary commitment to the transformative power of learning.

A dinner reception was held April 15 at the home of President Carmen Twillie Ambar. The honorees are as follows:

Christie Parris

Associate Professor of Sociology

“Christie is a brilliant teacher who deftly manages classroom dynamics on some of the most complex topics and difficult material in sociology,” says David Kamitsuka, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Christie’s students thrive thanks to the rigor and creativity she brings to her classes.”

Drew Pattison

Associate Professor of Bassoon

“Drew stands as one of the foremost woodwind pedagogues of his generation,” says Bill Quillen, dean of the Conservatory. “In addition to his inspired teaching, he brings kindness and care to everything he does… We are fortunate and grateful to count him as a colleague.

Andrew Pau

Associate Professor of Music Theory

“Through his consistent excellence, Andrew shapes the Oberlin experience and lives of countless students from the Conservatory and College alike,” Quillen says. “He has also been integral in leading the redesign of our music theory core curriculum, ensuring that the pedagogy offered remains at the forefront nationwide.”

Jason Stalnaker

Donald R. Longman ’32 Professor of Physics

“No one trains our students better in the skills of a scientist and the dispositions of an experimentalist,” Kamitsuka says. “Because of Jason, Oberlin is one of only three undergraduate institutions collaborating in the Global Network of Optical Magnetometers for Exotic Physics Searches.”

Matthew Wright

Chair and Professor of Theater

“Matthew is a pedagogue’s pedagogue,” Kamitsuka says. “His book Crafting Character not only trains our students to become brilliant actors but also illumines for them a profound way of engaging the world. He is a superb teacher of both acting and wisdom.”