Adrian Applauds Professors for Excellent Teaching posted 9/24/09
College honors Dodson and Field with awards

ADRIAN, Mich. - Adrian College is pleased to recognize Associate Professor John Dodson and Associate Professor Deborah Field for their excellence in teaching. Both professors were honored last week at the College’s opening convocation for the new school year.

“These two awards are given out at the beginning of each school year to acknowledge the hard work, dedication and teaching excellence of our professors,” said Dr. Agnes Caldwell, interim vice president and dean of academic affairs.

Associate Professor John Dodson, professor of music and music director of the Adrian Symphony Orchestra, was awarded the Ross Newsom Award for Outstanding Teaching. The Ross Newsom Award honors the memory of Ross Newsom (Adrian College class of 1936) and is sponsored by his sons.

Dodson earned his Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting degree from the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Md. and became music director of the Adrian Symphony Orchestra in 2001. During his eight seasons with the orchestra, the Adrian Symphony Orchestra has experienced tremendous artistic growth and now draws the largest audiences in the orchestra’s history. For his impact upon the musical life of the community, Dodson received the 2008 Lenawee Arts Award from the Croswell Opera House.

As a guest conductor, Dodson has led orchestras in Hungary, Poland, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. He has made seven tours guest conducting orchestras in Russia and will make his debut in Greece next June conducting the Athens State Symphony Orchestra.

Dodson’s amazing professional accomplishments inform and inspire his classroom. His course evaluations are superb. Students regularly note that his classes are “the best class I’ve taken at Adrian College” and intellectually challenging. Most importantly, students note the transformative nature of his courses on their intellect and personal lives.

Deborah Field, associate professor of history, received the Teaching Excellence Award. The Teaching Excellence Award is sponsored by the Division of Higher Education of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church.

Field earned her Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan. Trained as a Russian historian, she is the author of several articles and a favorably reviewed monograph, “Private Life and Communist Morality in Khrushchev’s Russia” (Peter Lang, 2007).

Last summer she was selected to attend the CIC/Gilder Lehrman Institute seminar on Slave Narratives at Yale University. Her scholarly work meshes well in her courses and has inspired a new course on slavery and abolition in comparative perspective and she is currently researching an article that compares Russian views of American slavery with American views of Russian serfdom.

On course evaluations students regularly note her courses as being “excellent”, “the best I’ve taken” and “enjoyable.”

The administration is proud to have these two outstanding professors on board at the College.

“There is no higher praise from students and colleagues than being challenging, supportive and innovative,” said Caldwell. “We are fortunate to have such devoted professors like John Dodson and Deb Field challenging and inspiring our students everyday here at Adrian College.”