RELEASED: December 10, 2009

By Laura Pasley

DANVILLE, KY—Centre College was recently ranked No. 11 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s 2010 list of "Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Undergraduate Teaching."

Like many publications, the report praised Centre’s "commitment to teaching," and though teachers and students may have different ideas about how Centre commits to teaching, both agree it is something special at Centre—and that teaching does not just happen inside the classroom.

Mathematics professor Dr. Alex McAllister appreciates how different Centre is from larger schools that place more emphasis on research and graduate and doctoral programs.

“There's nothing wrong with that focus, as long as the undergraduates recognize that is where they've landed," he says. "At Centre, our primary focus is undergraduates."

Ireland exchange student Niall McCooey says what he’s liked most about the teachers at Centre is that "they're very much involved in extra-curricular activities and take pride in all of the college's teams and societies."

McCooey plays badminton three times a week with a few of his friends—and his professor.

"This relationship makes me want to perform better in his class,” McCooey says. “He knows us as athletes and individuals as opposed to just another round of students he’s paid to stand in front of for a few hours per week. This is personal education at its best."

Chemistry professor Dr. Jeff Fieberg is another example of a professor involved in teaching that takes place both inside the classroom and out.

He leads several student organizations as a faculty advisor, including the American Chemical Society Student Chapter (ACSSC), the Centre Science Journal, and Sigma Alpha Epsilon. He also participates in other campus activities.

"Our ACSSC group frequently performs demonstrations at local schools," he says. "This outreach is rewarding for the Centre students as they blow stuff up, help the kids make slime, and teach that science is fun and explains so much about the world around them!"

Fieberg also enjoys "participating in the Centre Brass Ensemble with a section of the student body with whom I might not normally interact. And it's a blast talking smack with the students on the intramural softball field, especially during the faculty/staff championship runs the past two years!"

Though professors at Centre do much more than just teach, they are extraordinary in their dedication to providing personal education in the classroom.

Paige Hebard ’10, a mathematics major from Emory, Va., had a story to tell when asked about how Centre has shown her a commitment to teaching.

“In my first year at Centre," she says, "I was taking an introductory history course with Dr. Clarence Wyatt. It was a great class, and I was there on time every morning...until the day of the exam. Unfortunately, I overslept, but Dr. Wyatt called to wake me up! I'm forever grateful, and, needless to say, I took him again my senior year. And I don't even like history."

McAllister explains why he enjoys teaching at Centre: "I value the connectedness and community—there is a ‘humaneness’ to the scale of Centre College. Individuals are important and valued and honored here."

He adds that "perhaps most importantly, I believe my personal values and goals are closely aligned with those of Centre. I place paramount importance on teaching while remaining active in mathematical research and scholarship—just like Centre!"

The commitment to teaching at Centre, Fieberg says, is "evident in many ways, including a mentoring program for new faculty, pedagogy lunches to discuss new teaching and learning methods, and phenomenal technology support from the staff of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). In addition, classroom evaluations by fellow faculty members are taken very seriously and always result in helpful comments for methods to improve student learning."

McAllister agrees.

"The community of faculty and staff at Centre is just that—a community. Our faculty’s collegiality and shared commitment to teaching are a rare and special combination that results in significant and important accomplishments."

Whatever their reasons, students and faculty alike enjoy the many facets of Centre’s "commitment to teaching." Senior David Haddad of Georgetown, Ky., puts it simply: "I'm so lucky to have professors who care enough to make sure that I'm learning at my full capacity."

Have comments, suggestions, or story ideas? E-mail leigh.ivey@centre.edu with your feedback.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.