A self-described disciplinarian in the classroom, Aileen Ajootian said she was stunned to learn last spring she had won the 2005 Cora Lee Graham Award for Outstanding Teaching of Freshmen.
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John Neff, Glenn Hopkins, and Aileen Ajootian |
“This is a wonderful surprise,” said Ajootian, who teaches Latin 101 and 102 as part of her duties as associate professor of classics and art. “I enjoy interacting with the students. Their initiative and energy make teaching worthwhile.”
Nominations for the Graham Award are invited from students, faculty, staff and alumni. Selection is made by a committee under the auspices of the dean of the College of Liberal Arts.
“Dr. Ajootian is generous with her time and attention, always going the extra step to help students succeed,” said Glenn Hopkins, liberal arts dean. “Freshmen are often lost or overwhelmed as they enter college, and I can think of no better teacher than Dr. Ajootian to help them find their way in the freshman year.”
After earning a bachelor s degree in English from State University of New York, College of Oswego, Ajootian worked at several jobs, including cataloguing rare books, for more than a decade before earning a master's degree in classics at the University of Oregon and another in classical archaeology at Bryn Mawr College. She completed her doctoral degree in classical archaeology at Bryn Mawr in 1990 and joined the UM faculty in 1996.
Since then she's been committed to helping her students excel.
“Dr. Ajootian is completely devoted to her students,” said senior classics and English major Emily Bernardini. “I have never seen a professor who had such enthusiasm and willingness to help her students. Being a great teacher requires dedication, passion and skill, and brilliance helps also. Dr. Ajootian is a great teacher.”
The Cora Lee Graham Award was established in 1987 to help reward outstanding liberal arts faculty. Selection criteria include excellence in classroom presentation, intellectual stimulation, fairness and concern for students' welfare. The award carries a plaque and a $1,000 stipend, and the recipient's name is displayed with those of past winners in the dean's office.
This fall, Ajootian received the 2005 Humanities Teacher Award. Presented to distinguished humanities scholars at senior and community colleges in Mississippi, the award is sponsored by the Mississippi Humanities Council and the College of Liberal Arts.
Ajootian is the 11th professor to receive the award, which includes a $500 honorarium and delivery of a public lecture.
She presented “Instant Messenger: Iris and the Art of Communication in Classical Greece” in October in celebration of Arts and Humanities Month.