Sandra E. Greene, Stephen ’59 and Madeline ’60 Anbinder Professor of African History was one of ten faculty members selected to receive Stephen H. Weiss Awards honoring excellence in undergraduate teaching and mentoring.
“The Weiss Awards highlight the centrality of undergraduate education at Cornell, and I’m delighted that we’re able to recognize our exceptional faculty for their achievements,” said President Martha E. Pollack on Oct. 18. “It’s especially wonderful to have such a large group of talented and accomplished teachers to celebrate this year, after last year’s awards hiatus because of the pandemic," said Pollack.
Three awards are named in honor of the late Stephen H. Weiss ’57, who chaired the Cornell University Board of Trustees from 1989-97. Weiss conceived of the Presidential Fellowship Award, first bestowed in 1992 to recognize a sustained record of commitment to undergraduate education. The board in 2016 introduced the Junior Fellowship Award, recognizing early-career tenured faculty, and the Provost’s Teaching Fellowship Award, honoring nontenured faculty members.
A selection committee of six faculty members and three students (two graduate students and one undergraduate) recommended this year’s recipients after reviewing 20 nominations detailing the instructors’ skill and dedication inside and outside the classroom, based on course evaluations and letters from students and faculty or staff.
Sandra E. Greene joined the Department of History in 2001 as its first appointed African historian and chaired the department from 2001-05 and 2016-19, emphasizing small classes with individual attention for first- and second-year students.
Nominators called Greene an excellent classroom teacher who attracts students from varying majors and colleges, and who addresses sensitive subjects in her scholarship and teaching, including in courses such as African Economic Development Histories.
Greene “models the synergy that can be nurtured and sustained between teaching and scholarship,” and is “dedicated to helping people develop and engage in the life of the mind,” nominators wrote. One student said Greene was “by far my favorite professor here at Cornell.”
Greene volunteered to teach history at nearby prisons before the Cornell Prison Education Program formally existed.
This article was excerpted from the original Cornell Chronicle article by James Dean, please use this link to read the full piece: Weiss Teaching Awards Honor 10 Exceptional Faculty
