Four faculty members receive Atherton Award for teaching excellence

University Park, Pa. -- Four Penn State faculty members have received the 2008 George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching.

The award recipients are Andrew G. August, associate professor of history, Penn State Abington; Lynn E. Drafall, associate professor of music, Penn State University Park; Elizabeth A. Dudkin, associate professor of biology, Penn State Brandywine; and Sandra H. Petrulionis, professor of English and American studies, Penn State Altoona.

The award, named after Penn State's seventh president, was established in 1989 as a continuation of the AMOCO Foundation Award. It honors excellence in teaching at the undergraduate level.

August is one of the most sought-after teachers at Penn State Abington not only in regularly scheduled classes but also honors sections, undergraduate research projects and independent studies. He teaches a variety of history courses in which he seeks to engage his students in the lives of men and women in the past, ideas generated in historical context, and perspectives developed by historians studying the past.

"In many different ways," he said, "I hope my courses exceed student expectations by inviting them to engage with history as lived experience, as dynamic ideas and as an academic discipline."

August, who earned a doctorate and two master's degrees at Columbia University, joined the Abington faculty in 1995.

Drafall is director of choral activities in the School of Music. She has served as academic adviser or unofficial mentor to some 90 undergraduate students pursuing careers as instrumental or choral music educators. She also established a student chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and created a scholarship program for talented undergraduate choral conductors to gain practical experience working with small ensembles.

Her teaching philosophy focuses on "empowering young conductors to be strong leaders" while at the same time remaining in service of the singers and of the music. "I hope that my students find their own music, and share it with integrity and conviction," she said.

"During my tenure at Penn State, I did not encounter a more passionate, more dedicated, and more thoughtful instructor," a former student wrote.

Dudkin is recognized for her ability to teach, motivate and inspire students at all levels. She teaches introductory and upper-level biology, in lectures and labs, on topics ranging from mammalian anatomy to frog behavior. "She inspires and cares for her students," a colleague noted, "matching their efforts with guidance and knowledge."

Named the Campus Distinguished Teacher of the Year for 2005, she supplements her classes with virtual lectures and podcasts, allowing students to go through solutions to complex genetic problems step by step, and to learn at their own pace.

"So far, I've had her for two classes and two labs and realize her tough stand and attitude are only to bring out the best in her students and make sure they are prepared for life after graduation," a student wrote. "I love and admire her work ethic."

Petrulionis, a scholar with an international reputation in 19th-century American literature, is recognized as a regular collaborator with her students, providing them with invaluable opportunities to experience the rigors and rewards of scholarly research. She has supervised some 30 students on a variety of tasks, and seven students have received Undergraduate Research Awards for their work with her.

One student said Professor Petrulionis made literary figures real. "She has quietly and persistently kindled in me the belief that the works of literature are of infinite importance," the student wrote, "and that our careful appreciation of them should inform our civic duty in the world." Another said, "It is her eagerness to help develop her students' way of thinking that makes her an esteemed educator and a much-valued person."

Petrulionis, who received the 2000 Grace D. Long Faculty Excellence Award, also serves as coordinator of Penn State Altoona's Letters, Arts and Sciences degree program.