Faculty Members Honoured for their Contributions to St. Thomas University
The Faculty Merit Award recipients who will be celebrated at the upcoming Spring Convocation being livestreamed on Tuesday, May 11 at 7:00 pm have been announced. This year’s recipients—Dr. Andrew Moore, Professor Cristi Flood, and Dr. Karen Robert—received numerous nominations by their students and faculty colleagues, and the process was adjudicated by a Special Merit Awards Committee.
The standard for each of these awards is the “achievement of excellence” and the awards are not only a significant achievement for the individual recipients, but are also a reflection of the high quality of our faculty.
Dr. Andrew Moore – John McKendy Memorial Teaching Award
Dr. Andrew Moore holds a BA from St. Thomas and an MA and PhD from Western. His scholarly work focuses on the intersections between literature and political theory. Dr. Moore has taught in Great Books and the Aquinas Program since 2008. There, he introduces students to a variety of texts across a range of genres, from epic poetry and Shakespearean tragedy to early modern political theory and contemporary television. In the classroom, he strives to promote meaningful conversations and teaches students to ask clear, precise questions about subjects of perennial human concern, such as justice, freedom, and beauty. Dr. Moore encourages his students to solve problems collaboratively, listen carefully, argue effectively, and share ideas respectfully. During the pandemic, he reinvented his pedagogy by starting a YouTube channel to share video lectures with his students and podcasts with his co-teachers in Great Books. Dr. Moore is also a vocal advocate for liberal arts education. His writing on the value of the liberal arts can be found in University Affairs and Times Higher Education. His goals as a teacher are to help his students understand how they might measure human success, how they might recognize injustice, and how they might find meaning in their lives.
Professor Cristi Flood – Excellence in Part-Time Teaching
Professor Cristi Flood has been a part-time member of the Department of Gerontology since 2019. She holds a BA from St. Thomas and an MA in Health and Aging from McMaster. Using carefully curated texts, thoughtfully crafted lectures, and engaging discussion pieces, Prof. Flood challenges her students to think critically, to question their assumptions, and to debate complex issues. She uses innovative methods to enhance her students’ public speaking, writing, and research skills. They note that: Prof. Flood is known among her more senior colleagues as a dedicated and skilled instructor. “Her passion for Gerontology is contagious, enlivening her classes and bringing her students with her on a journey through scholarship and research on aging. Students leave engaged and informed, confident in their newly gained abilities.” Prof. Flood’s students are also effusive in their praise, not only of her skill as a teacher but also for the enthusiasm and care she brings to the classroom. In providing a rigorous education and supportive instruction, students say that she is approachable and is invested in their success.
Dr. Karen Robert – University Service Award
Dr. Karen Robert is a professor in the Department of History whose work over the past year was essential as the University adapted to remote teaching and learning. She played the lead role in identifying the tools, software, and support that faculty needed to provide remote instruction and worked closely with Information Technology Services to create tutorial materials and curate videos helpful to her colleagues. As the Remote Teaching Coordinator, she worked with the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Remote Learning and was instrumental in recruiting experts on education technology and instructional design. Throughout the summer and after classes began, she worked tirelessly to assist faculty who faced pedagogical and technological challenges, hosted virtual town halls, drafted FAQs, and held remote teaching office hours. As well as teaching, meeting with students, and fulfilling her duties as the Chair of the Department of History, she collaborated with the Students’ Union to anticipate and resolve issues. Her expertise and dedication were essential in helping faculty meet the educational requirements of students and providing faculty leadership in a time of great uncertainty. Dr. Robert holds a BA from Queen’s and an MA and PhD from the University of Michigan. She previously received the John McKendy Memorial Teaching Award.