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Teaching Excellence: X. Ben Wu Presidential Professor
05/06/09
Photo: Dr. Elsa Murano, right, president of Texas A&M University, congraduates Dr. X. Ben Wu as Dr. Mark Hussey, left, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, looks on. Photos by Igor Kraguljac.
College Station--Dr. X. Ben Wu, professor of ecosystem science and management at Texas A&M University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has been named as one of two winners of the Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence Award. The announcement was made by the university’s president, Dr. Elsa Murano.
Senior Chemistry Lecturer Wendy L. Keeney-Kennicutt was also selected for the award.
“The foundation of any university is its faculty, and we here at Texas A&M are fortunate indeed to have a faculty that is highly dedicated and distinguished in addition to being highly esteemed both nationally and internationally,” Murano said. “It all begins with an unwavering commitment to teaching, and Drs. Keeney-Kennicutt and Wu obviously live out that commitment all the time – to the great benefit of their students, our great university and the state of Texas.”
The award, established in 2003 to underscore the importance of teaching at a major research university, includes the career-long title of “Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence.”
Wu, who joined the Texas A&M faculty in 1995, also serves his department as associate head for graduate programs. He also is the Cuiying Guest Professor in the Key Lab of Arid and Grassland Ecology at Lanzhou University in China and an adjunct professor in the Research Center of Plant Ecology and Conservation Biology with the Institute of Botany at the Chinese Academy of Science.
His teaching philosophy has “a passion for teaching, genuine care for students, and well-designed materials and approaches to foster effective learning,” Wu said. “The passion of a teacher for teaching and the subject not only drives the teacher’s pursuit of teaching excellence but also promotes students’ interest in the subject and their desire to learn. ... I attempt to relate to my students as a fellow human being who is eager to help them in their learning.”
Wu is active in programs conducted by the Center for Teaching Excellence. According to his colleagues, he has taught and mentored hundreds of graduate teaching assistants, helping them to thrive in their new setting. In addition, he has recruited diverse and highly qualified graduate students to Texas A&M and has served as a mentor to graduate students pursuing the Graduate Teaching Academy Certificate within the Center for Teaching Excellence.
He has received numerous awards and honors for his teaching and scholarship, including The Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching, the Dick Kleberg Jr. Endowed Lectureship at the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management at Texas A&M University-Kingsville and the Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence for Graduate Teaching.
Wu earned his degrees from Lanzhou University in China and the University of Tennessee. He also completed postdoctoral research at The Ohio State University.
Nominations for the award are made by students, faculty members and deans in each of the university’s colleges and schools. Only one nomination can be made by each of the eligible groups – academic colleges, the Center for Teaching Excellence, Student Government Association and the Graduate Student Council.
With stipends of $25,000 each, these awards are believed to be the highest in monetary value of their type in the nation.
About the college:
With an enrollment of almost 6,700 students in 14 academic departments, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees and has a faculty of more than 300, including two Nobel laureates. Research programs include food sustainability and safety, human and animal health, genetics, renewable natural resources and bioenergy. Dr. Mark Hussey is vice chancellor and dean. For more information on the college, visit http://AgLifeSciences.tamu.edu.
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