| Kemper Award Winners Exemplify Engaged Teaching Corvalan, Schmidt draw praise from colleagues and students Each year, Webster University honors outstanding faculty members with the William T. Kemper Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 2006, two of the four distinguished recipients were faculty members in the College of Arts & Sciences: Graciela Corvalan, International Languages and Cultures; and Paulette Schmidt, English. A look at what colleagues, students, and alumni had to say in nominating and praising them illustrates how they represent the highest fulfillment of Webster's ideals. Graciela Corvalan, International Languages and Cultures
Throughout her 25-year career at Webster University, Graciela Corvalan has always fostered a sensitivity in her students to the lifestyle, historical experiences, and philosophies of the Spanish-speaking world. Through her teaching, she says she strives "to break down the many stereotypes that perpetuate among peoples." When the University speaks of incorporating an international perspective throughout the curriculum, Corvalan is one who delivers. She has taught at Webster's campuses in Leiden, the Netherlands; Geneva, Switzerland; Vienna, Austria; and Cha-am, Thailand. Corvalan organizes the student exchange program and summer study trips at Universidad Nacional de Cuyo in Mendoza, Argentina. She is a founding member of the University's Center for International Education. And she is a former director of the International Student Center. "Graciela Corvalan truly is a worldwide professor," says 2006 graduate Alyson G. Pedley. "She is passionate about her field, as well as determined that her students participate in their own learning experience. She is motivating, wise, and approachable." Michelle Herzog, a 2006 alumna, told Global Thinking how Corvalan helped her get all her required credits as she navigated an unorthodox global route to her degree. "Graciela was my mentor," Herzog says. "She helped me diversify my Spanish-speaking experiences, and even though I was studying in Vienna, she always went the extra mile to help me get the classes I needed to graduate." Anne McIlhaney, associate professor of English, attends the advanced Spanish conversation group for Webster faculty and staff, a group lead by Corvalan. "Graciela is adept at keeping the group engaged," McIlhaney says. "Her genuine interest in helping us improve, her flexibility in adapting the meetings to suit our interests, and her skillful leadership have made the conversation group truly one of the highlights of my years at Webster." Spanish major David Dapron echoes the praise. "Corvalan is one of the very best Spanish language and literature professors around," he says. "It is a privilege to be able to study under her." Paulette Schmidt, English
It remains Paulette Schmidt's philosophy that to be a good writer one must be a good reader. As one of her colleagues put it, "Paulette reads voraciously—widely and variously." It's this philosophy that Schmidt, who has taught poetry and literary translation at Webster University for 22 years, tries to impose upon her students. She's not content to have students simply learn what a poem means, she wants them to understand how a poem means. The approach works. "I look back to Paulette with something more profound than simple appreciation, because she did more than instruct me," says alumna Amy Lynn Ferguson. "She touched me, both with her compassion for her students and her passion for poetry." According to Webster senior Melissa Kasting, "Paulette really cares about each person and the development of their writing at any level. She will stay after class, meet before class, and bend over backwards for anyone that works hard for her." Alumnus Travis Mossotti told Global Thinking how Schmidt opened his eyes to the possibilities of using his French studies in translation class. "The class is very daunting but very rewarding and very worthwhile, thanks to Paulette Schmidt," he said. "She's one of a kind. Her enthusiasm really makes it work and keeps students interested." Literary journals and anthologies have published more than 40 of Schmidt's works. She has published a book of translations from French, served on the literature committee of the Missouri Arts Council, and spent three weeks in Kenya working with writers and other artists. "It's rare to find such writing classes at the undergraduate level," says David Clewell, professor and director of creative writing. "And her professional credentials as a translator and writer give her an uncommon credibility. Paulette Schmidt is helping to change lives, one poem at a time. She's helping to change the way our human community learns to think and feel, one reader at a time." |
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