First winners of the Social Science Dean’s Excellence Award for Teaching

April 15, 2016

Announcing the first winners of the Social Science Dean’s Excellence Award for Teaching

Faculty of Social Science Dean Robert Andersen is pleased to announce the inaugural winners of the Social Science Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching: Andrew Sancton, Department of Political Science, Jeff Hopkins, Department of Geography, and David Sherry, Department of Psychology.  

Andrew (Andy) Sancton has been a member of the Department of Political Science for nearly 40 years, and is one of Canada’s most prominent scholars of Local Government and Urban Politics. Sancton has played a critical role in shaping the department’s Local Government Program, as the program Director. Read more about Andy Sancton.

Jeff Hopkins has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to excellence in teaching, particularly in the areas of academic counselling, tutoring and mentoring of students. Before receiving this award, Hopkins was recognized by the University Student Council with the Western Teaching Honour Roll seven times. Read more about Jeff Hopkins.

Along with providing excellent in-class instruction and mentorship for graduate and undergraduate research students, David Sherry has taken leadership roles in the Department of Psychology and has been a leader in making Western an internationally recognized destination for education in Neuroscience. Read more about David Sherry.

The Faculty of Social Science Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence was developed to recognize the examples of outstanding pedagogy, demonstrated through the active, critical role of the instructor who fosters critical thinking and inspires students to engage in the quest for knowledge as a value and a skill. Nominated by Department Chairs, successful nominations include comments from colleagues and from students. Award recipients will be recognized with a plaque outside Social Science Room 2050.