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English Prof. Lisa Spaar finalist for Baylor University's Cherry Award

Financial award given to department, faculty member

<p>English Department Chair Cynthia Wall nominated Professor Lisa Spaar (far left) in part because of her outstanding course evaluations.</p>

English Department Chair Cynthia Wall nominated Professor Lisa Spaar (far left) in part because of her outstanding course evaluations.

University English Prof. Lisa Spaar was chosen as one of three finalists for Baylor University’s Robert Foster Cherry Award, an honor designed to distinguish exceptional professors from across the English-speaking world.

Spaar was initially nominated by the Provost’s office and English Department Chair Cynthia Wall because of her outstanding course evaluations and other awards. Wall said she had nominated Spaar for the Cherry Award in 2010 but was encouraged to nominate her again after she did not win the first time.

“Lisa represents what all of us in English and Creative Writing aspire towards — she is devoted to her students and she demands much of them,” Wall said in an email. “Her courses are as rigorous as they are inspiring.”

As a finalist, Spaar won an invitation to give a lecture series at Baylor University, $15,000 for herself and $10,000 for the University’s English Department. If she wins the Cherry Award, then she will receive $250,000 for herself, $25,000 for the University’s English Department and a semester-long residency at Baylor University with travel and apartment expenses paid.

Spaar said she felt “delight and surprise” upon receiving the award. Although Spaar is still considering the details of her lecture series, she said she will definitely include talks about her main specialties of teaching and poetry.

“I know that whatever I settle on will have to do, of course, with teaching and with poetry, my two passions — which are, to me, inextricably linked,” Spaar said.

The other major part of the honor, the $10,000 award, goes towards the University’s English Department. Spaar said this was her preferred part of the honor because it allows her and others to further their ideals of teaching at the University.

“I am grateful to be able to contribute to giving back in some way to the English Department, which has ever been and continues to be committed to excellence in teaching at all levels,” Spaar said.

The decision of how to allocate funds will be discussed between Spaar and the outgoing and incoming English department chairs. Wall, the outgoing chair, said there has not yet been any discussion of the funds’ use.

“I imagine that I will be talking with our new chair, Steve Arata, about ways in which those Cherry Award funds might be spent to sustain and further innovation and excellence in teaching in the English Department in the year ahead,” Spaar said.

Both Spaar and Wall said the students and other faculty in the department have been immensely supportive of Spaar and her position as a finalist. Wall said the students also played an integral part in the nomination and award process.

“The students are always so supportive of Spaar's — and our many other teaching award-winning faculty — success,” Wall said. “It was easy to get students to write letters in support of the nomination.”

Spaar said she has deeply felt support from students, alumni, faculty, colleagues and administrators from both the University and other colleges. She said the responses have brought attention to the quality teaching she sees at the University.

“Teaching is sometimes undervalued — or can feel so by faculty who are trying, especially at large research schools, to balance the areas of teaching, scholarship and service,” Spaar said. “There are legions of strong, devoted teachers at U.Va. who deserve to be recognized and rewarded for their innovative, dedicated teaching.”

Spaar also said she was grateful and appreciative for the award and the recognition it gives to undergraduate professors. Because undergraduate teaching is not commonly commended, she said the Cherry Award provides a place for teachers to be celebrated beyond research.

“That Baylor University devotes a significant award to reward and further foster good teaching by faculty throughout the world — teachers who maintain strong records of scholarship and service to their home institutions while dedicating time and energy to teaching, particularly undergraduate teaching — is rare,” she said.

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