March 1, 2019

VIDEO: UK Students Pay Tribute to 'Great Teachers'

By Kody Kiser and Amy Jones-Timoney

The Great Teachers were honored at Rupp Arena. (Left to right) J. Fritz Skeen, Melvin Coffee, Margaret Rintamaa, Wendy Liu, Michael D. Toland, Gregory Luhan, Charles Hazle Jr., Will Nash and Tim Walsh.

The Great Teachers were honored at Rupp Arena. (Left to right) J. Fritz Skeen, Melvin Coffee, Margaret Rintamaa, Wendy Liu, Michael D. Toland, Gregory Luhan, Charles Hazle Jr., Will Nash and Tim Walsh.

Though this year’s Great Teacher award-winners have different backgrounds and experiences, they share a common motivation to help students succeed beyond their time at the University of Kentucky.

The recipients of the UK Alumni Association 2019 Great Teacher Award were honored with a special dinner and recognition on the floor of Rupp Arena Tuesday evening.

The winners are:

  • Charles Hazle Jr., College of Health Sciences, Department of Physical Therapy;
  • Gregory Luhan, College of Design, School of Architecture;
  • Margaret Rintamaa, College of Education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction;
  • Melvin Coffee, College of Communication and Information, School of Journalism and Media;
  • Michael D. Toland, College of Education, Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology; and
  • Wendy Liu, Gatton College of Business and Economics, Department of Finance and Quantitative Methods.

The Great Teacher Award is the longest-running UK award recognizing teaching. In order to receive the award, educators must first be nominated by a student. The UK Alumni Association Great Teacher Award Committee, in cooperation with the student organization Omicron Delta Kappa,  makes the final selections. Recipients receive an engraved plaque and monetary reward.

The UK Alumni Association is a membership supported organization committed to fostering lifelong engagement among alumni, friends, the association and the university. For more information about the UK Alumni Association or to become a member, visit www.ukalumni.net or call 1-800-269-2586.

In the coming weeks, UKNow will share podcasts featuring this year’s Great Teacher award-winners, along with video spotlights.

Watch the video above to hear from both UK’s Great Teachers, as well as the students who nominated this year’s winners.

Discover more about this year’s winners at: https://ukalumniblog.com/2019/01/17/great-teacher-2019/.

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