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AROUND THE QUADS

Hood, Shahabuddin, Smit Honored at Great Teacher Awards Dinner

“Teaching is about students,” says Donald C. Hood (right), who received a Great Teacher Award along with Perwez Shahabuddin on September 29. PHOTO: MICHAEL DAMES

James F. Bender Professor of Psychology Donald C. Hood and Perwez Shahabuddin, professor of industrial engineering and operations research at SEAS, were presented with 2004 Great Teacher Awards at the Society of Columbia Graduates Awards Dinner in Low Library Rotunda on September 29. A special service award was given to Professor J.W. Smit, the Queen Wilhelmina Professor of the History of the Low Countries, for his commitment to undergraduate teaching and for having taught all four of the basic Core Curriculum courses. About 150 people attended, including society members, faculty and staff.

Hood, a faculty member since 1969, is committed to undergraduate teaching and often works with students in advanced courses that train them for graduate work. He received the 1993 Mark Van Doren Award for Outstanding Teaching. Hood served as the University’s v.p. for Arts and Sciences from 1982–87, has chaired the psychology department on several occasions and served on the College’s Committee on Instruction from 1993–97.

Shahabuddin, who has taught at SEAS since 1995, was a researcher at IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., where he specialized in systems analysis. A graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology, Shahabuddin received his Ph.D. in operations research from Stanford in 1990. In 1997, he received the Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award given by SEAS alumni.

Dean Austin Quigley spoke at the dinner, noting that for students, as well as professors, “The highlight is what happens in the classroom.” Hood echoed that statement, saying in his acceptance speech, “Teaching is about students … things have changed in the years that I’ve been here, but have students changed? No. Our students are very different — they are intellectually engaged and aggressive … more probing, more challenging.” He concluded, “I have a great job.”

Smit discussed the importance of the Core in today’s changing world and the unprecedented growth of the world’s economy and knowledge. “Students need exercises in clear thinking, not partisan thinking,” said Smit, who added that he taught Contemporary Civilization, Literature Humanities, Art Humanities and Music Humanities because he “couldn’t decide what to be when I grew up. I am looking for students to help me make that decision. … My life would become totally empty without having [students] around me constantly.” He jokingly noted, however, that the new Frontiers of Science is one part of the Core he has no plans to teach.

The Great Teacher Awards have been presented since 1949, one each to faculty members from the College and SEAS. Previous award winners include Mark Van Doren in 1949, Lionel Trilling ’25 in 1955, Wm. Theodore de Bary ’41 in 1970, James B. Shenton ’49 in 1976, Eric Foner ’63 in 1991, Kenneth Jackson in 1999 and Provost Alan Brinkley in 2003.

Lisa Palladino

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