Published by Communications and Public Affairs (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338
News Release
June 21, 2001
U of G prof receives prestigious 3M teaching fellowship
University of Guelph sociology professor Fred Evers has received a prestigious 3M Teaching Fellowship. The award recognizes scholars who excel in teaching, leadership and the development of academic programs. It is sponsored by 3M Canada and the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Evers is the 10th U of G faculty member to receive this honour.
“I am delighted -- this is a tremendous validation of what I am doing,” Evers said of the fellowship. “I tend to think of awards in terms of the people who have won them in the past, and I have tremendous respect for the people from Guelph who have received this award previously. It is a great honour for me to now be a part of that group.”
Evers is one of 10 professors receiving 3M fellowships this year, chosen from a field of 48 nominations from 26 Canadian universities. In total, 160 educators from 38 universities have been recognized by this award since its inception in 1986. 3M Teaching Fellowships include a citation and an invitation to participate in a three-day retreat in Montebello where winners share teaching experiences and discuss new ideas.
"The University of Guelph community is delighted and proud that Prof. Evers has received this prestigious honour,” said President Mordechai Rozanski. “Prof. Evers both deserves this award and represents the outstanding faculty at the University of Guelph. He has always pursued excellence and is highly respected for his commitment to research and his learner-centred approach to teaching. He is personally dedicated to ensuring his students’ success by helping them develop the skills they need to become self-reliant, experiential, lifelong learners.”
Evers, who also is the director of Guelph’s Centre for Educational Research and Assessment, was recognized for his work on learner-centredness and competency-based education and his expertise on the transition from school to work. Along with James Rush and Iris Berdrow, he published the results of his long-term research on the skills needed by university graduates in the workplace in the book The Bases of Competence: Skills for Lifelong Learning and Employability. Evers is regularly called on to give presentations to other universities and organizations on innovative curriculum development and assessment.
“I have always made it a high priority to help my students realize that they have things that are of value to the workplace,” Evers said. “And I have always placed a lot of importance on being a good teacher. It is one of the things that attracted me to Guelph. A lot of universities say that they make teaching a priority, but it is often lip service. But at Guelph, there is an emphasis on good teaching, and on promoting learning environments that give students the opportunity to learn on their own.”
Evers joined Guelph’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology in 1985. He has received three departmental awards for excellence and innovation in teaching and, in 1997, was honoured with a university-wide award as Distinguished Professor from U of G’s Faculty Association. This year, he received the Peer Helper Program Partnership Award and the president approved his nomination as a Distinguished Teaching Professor 2000-2001.
Contact:
Prof. Fred Evers
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
(519) 824-4120, Ext. 2196
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