While the award has undergone several name changes since 1989 (Sears and Roebuck Teaching Award, 1989 - 1991; DuPont Award for Teaching Excellence, 1992 - 2002; The Pantagraph Award for Teaching Excellence, 2003 - 2009), the purpose of the award has always been to recognize and celebrate the vital role that teaching plays on our campus.
There was an additional Award for Teaching Excellence established in 1959 that was called the IWU Century Club Teacher of the Year Award. Award recipients were asked to address members of the Century Club and faculty colleagues at an annual dinner held each spring.
This collection features the text, audio or video of the speeches delivered by award recipients as it was made available to the University Archives. For questions, contact archives@iwu.edu.
Speeches from 2021
“Up Against the System!”: Investigating Systemic Problems; Inventing Systemic Solutions, Tom Lutze
Speeches from 2020
A Grain of Salt, Timothy Rettich
Speeches from 2019
A Life in Subtitles, Carmela Ferradáns
Speeches from 2018
In Pursuit of Excellence: From Patient Centered to Student Centered, Vickie Noltkamper Folse
Speeches from 2017
Curiosity and What To Make of It, Rebecca Gearhart Mafazy
Speeches from 2016
The Long and Winding Trail (video only), Linda French
Speeches from 2015
Reflections of an Accidental Political Scientist, Kathleen Montgomery
Speeches from 2014
The Art and Science of Living in the Present, Rebecca Roesner
Speeches from 2013
Refracting Honor through a Personal Prism, Narendra Jaggi
Speeches from 2012
A Growing Concern, William Munro
Speeches from 2011
Intertwinglement; or a Request by Way of a Story, Daniel Terkla
Speeches from 2010
Happiness and the Liberal Arts: Three Movements, Wes Chapman
Speeches from 2009
Honors Convocation Speech, Jonathan Dey
Speeches from 2008
At the Crossroads: On Fairytales, Firebirds, and Real Life Choices, Marina Balina
Speeches from 2007
Social Capitalism and the New Individualism, Jim Sikora
Speeches from 2006
Unruly Tongues, Mary Ann Bushman
Speeches from 2005
Cultural Capital: Intellectual Traditions and the Liberal Arts, Christopher Prendergast
Speeches from 2004
Once More, with Feeling, James Plath
Speeches from 2003
The Paths that Lead, Carolyn Nadeau
Speeches from 2001
Against The Grain: Learning And Teaching, Carole A. Myscofski
Speeches from 2000
Tales from the Heart, Teddy O. Amoloza
Speeches from 1999
Honors Convocation Speech, Michael Seeborg
Speeches from 1998
Learning by Heart, Mona J. Gardner
"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", W. Michael Weis
Speeches from 1997
The State of the Art, Jared Brown
Speeches from 1996
"As if the language suddenly, with ease", Kathleen O'Gorman
Speeches from 1995
What's the Difference? (text and audio), James D. Matthews
Speeches from 1993
The Importance of Unlearning, Mona J. Gardner
Speeches from 1991
The Search for Captain Howdy, Robert C. Bray
Speeches from 1987
The History of Love (text and audio), Michael B. Young
Speeches from 1985
Under the Lids of the Newborn Child, or in Partial Defense of the Humanities (text and audio), Sue A. Huseman
Speeches from 1983
Creative Mechanists: Putting Things in Order, J. Robert Hippensteele
Speeches from 1982
Season To Season (text and audio), John D. Heyl
Speeches from 1981
Another Brick in the Wall?, Michael B. Young
Speeches from 1980
To Be Liberal, to Be Humane, to Say Straight-out in so Many Words (audio only), Sammye Greer
Speeches from 1979
To Look Down on Eagles (audio only), Fred Brian
Speeches from 1978
Now Wherefore Stopp'st Thou Me?, Sammye Crawford Greer
The Joy of Chemistry- Personal Impressions (text and audio), Frank D. Starkey
Speeches from 1977
Emotion Recollected in Tranquillity, Harvey F. Beutner
Speeches from 1976
Poetae Patriae Amantes: A Tribute in Five Scenes, R. Bedford Watkins
Speeches from 1975
Give Us Wings, Lucile Klauser
"The Wizard of Oz Doesn't Live Here Anymore", Jerry Israel
Speeches from 1974
The Occult Revisited, Max A. Pape
Speeches from 1973
The Varieties of Hemlock, Robert W. Burda
Speeches from 1972
The Liberal Art ― Vision and Form, John Ficca
Speeches from 1971
The Noisy Conflict of Half-Truths, Doris C. Meyers
Speeches from 1969
Breaching the Walls, Wendell W. Hess
Speeches from 1968
The Historians and I, Bunyan H. Andrew
Speeches from 1967
Speech- The Magnificent Gift, Marie J. Robinson
Speeches from 1966
Tragedy for Our Time, Joseph H. Meyers
Speeches from 1965
It's a Mollusk, Dorothea S. Franzen
Speeches from 1964
The Influence of Primitive Art, Rupert Kilgore
Speeches from 1963
The Poetry of E. E. Cummings, Elizabeth H. Oggel
Speeches from 1962
Debussy and His Music: A Retrospect, R. Dwight Drexler
Speeches from 1961
Science: In the Pursuit of Truth and the Furtherance of Understanding, Wayne Warde Wantland