Wichita State University
Academy for Effective Teaching
The 2026-2027
Steering Committee
The Purpose of the Academy of Effective Teaching
- To emphasize the importance of effective teaching to the university’s mission
- To support and develop effective teachers
- To recognize outstanding teachers with annual aware
History of the Academy
- By 1995 it was obvious that the university was evolving into a major research university
- Central administration did not wish to see good teaching de-emphasized
- In response, they established a new university-wide-teaching award to promote and enhance effective teaching
- Established the Academy to administer and oversee the award
Who We Are (AET)
- An organization of 100+ emeriti faculty who had distinguished teaching careers
- They were nominated for membership in the Academy by the current faculty at WSU
- Three to six new members are added to the Academy each year
- An elected 8 person Steering Committee guides the work of the Academy. Each college is represented on the Steering Committee.
- The Academy reports directly to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Eligibility for Membership
- Retired with emeritus status
- Nomination by the current faculty
- A history of outstanding teaching performance
- If the candidate was in a non-teaching position at the time of retirement, they must have taught at least one regular course in the last three years.
The Teaching Award
- The AET Teaching Award is the most prestigious teaching award on campus
- It is the only student driven teaching award, i.e., only students get to vote
- The award carries a $2,000 stipend that is added to base salary
- Recipients of the award are chosen through a multi-stage process
- Top 5 finalists submit portfolios to the Steering Committee
- Committee reviews & evaluates the materials in the context of the student nominations and makes its recommendation to the Vice President of Academic Affairs
- For list of previous winners: Prior winners
Academy's Other Activities
- The Academy is not only an honorary but also a working organization
- Sponsors a formal mentoring program for new faculty
- Conducts seminars, workshops, and round table discussions related to effective teaching
- Consults on individual basis to enhance teaching performance
- Disseminates teaching material (Two volumes of teaching tips by past winners of award)
- Oversees video library of teaching lectures by past award winners
The activities are facilitated by the Office of Academic Affairs.
The members of the Academy for Effective Teaching are honored retired emeritus faculty from all colleges on campus. View list of AET Charter Members and View a list of recent AET Membership
The full list of AET Membership can be found below:
A - C
A
- Paul Ackerman (2018)
- Anneke Allen - Chemistry (Deceased)
- Robert D. Alley - Curriculum and Instruction
B
- Sue Bair - Health and Physical Education
- Prem N. Bajaj - Mathematics and Statistics
- Linda Bakken - Counseling, Education and School Psychology
- Wilson R. Baldridge - MCLL
- Deborah Ballard-Reisch - Elliott School
- Marcus T. Ballenger - Curriculum and Instruction
- John A. Belt - Management
- Tina Bennett (2016)
- Lloyd M. Benningfield - Electrical Engineering (Deceased)
- Nancy Bereman - Management
- Dorothy K. Billings - Anthropology
- William D. Bischoff - Geology
- Donald Blakeslee - Anthropology
- Harrison Boughton - School of Music
- Barbara E. Bowman - Biological Sciences
- John B. Breazeale - Dean of Faculties (Deceased)
- Jeneva J. Brewer - Mathematics and Statistics (Deceased)
- Clark Britton - School of Art and Design
- Christopher Brooks (2018)
- Patricia Bunton (2018)
- Kenneth W. Burk - Communication Sciences and Disorders (Deceased)
- Donald Byrum - School of art and Design
C
- Jo Lynne Campbell - Medical Lab Sciences
- Jeri A. Carroll - Curriculum and Instruction
- Joyce Cavarozzi - Performing Arts
- James J. Ceasar - School of Music (Deceased)
- Ronald W. Christ - Art & Design
- Sylvia J. Coats (2015)
- Diana Cochran-Black - Medical Laboratory Sciences
- Peter Cohen - Health Professions
- Joseph C. Combs - School of Music
- Donald L. Corbett - School of Music
- Kathy Coufal (2018)
- Andrew J. Craig - Aerospace Engineering
- Delores Craig-Moreland - Community Affairs
- Dorothy E. Crum - Music
D-F
D
- Gayle R. Davis - Women's Studies
- Jay C. Decker - School of Music
- Kathy Downes - Libraries
- John Dreifort - History
- Orpha K. Duell - Administration, Counseling, Education and School Psychology
- James Duram - History
E
- Mary P. Edgington - Computer Science
- Howard E. Ellis - College of Fine Arts (Deceased)
- Randolph A. Ellsworth (2015)
F
- David N. Farnsworth - Political Science
- Glenn Fisher - Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs
- Mary Sue Foster (2018)
- Raymond Fox - Biological Sciences (Deceased)
G-J
G
George H. Gibson - School of Music
Keith Graham - Communication Sciences and Disorders (Deceased)
Gary Greenberg - Psychology
Alvin L. Gregg - English
Mahesh Greywall - Mechanical Engineering
Kathryn P. Griffith - Political Science (Deceased)
Anthony Gythiel - History and English (Deceased)
H
Maryon J. Habtemarian - Nursing
Charles G. Halcomb - Psychology
Geraldine E. Hammond - English (Deceased)
Deborah Hansen Soles (2017)
James L. Hardy - School of Music (Deceased)
Kathy Irene Harris Strattman (2017)
John J. Hartman - Sociology (Deceased)
Jeanine Hathaway - English
Donna Hawley-Wolfe (2016)
Randall B. Haydon - Economics
Dean Headley (2019)
Esther L. Headley - Marketing
James C. Ho - Physics
Barbara Hodson (2016)
Lowell D. Holmes - Anthropology (Deceased)
Walter J. Horn (2015)
Elmer A. Hoyer - Computer and Electrical Engineering
Alicia Huckstadt - Nursing
Bobbye Humphrey - School of Social Work
Ann P. Hunter (2019)
Bernice Hutcherson - School of Social Work
I
J
Phyllis Jacobs - School of Nursing
Ward T. Jewell - Electrical and Computer Engineering
C. Nicholas Johnson - Performing Arts
Claradine Johnson - Electrical and Computer Engineering
Everett Johnson - Electrical and Computer Engineering (Deceased)
K-N
K
Melvin A. Kahn - Political Science
Vernon Keel – Elliott School of Communications
Donald G. Killian - Mathematics and Statistics
Bela Kiralyfalvi - Performing Arts
Robert Knapp – Psychology
Mary L. Koehn (2017)
Carol W. Konek - Women's Studies
John H. Koppenhaver - Modern and Classical Languages and Literature
Susan Kovar - Kinesiology and Sport Studies
Susan Kruger - School of Nursing
L
Marvis J. Lary - Physician Assistant Program
Gerald D. Loper - Physics
M
Abu S. M. Masud (2017)
William E. Mathis - College of Fine Art
Ronald R. Matson (2019)
Wei-Cheng Mau - Counseling, Educational Leadership, Educational and School Psychology
Phillip May - Accountancy
James W. McKenney - Political Science (Deceased)
Louis Medvene (2018)
Greg Meissen (2018)
Mira E. Merriman - School of Art and Design (Deceased)
Kenneth Miller (2016)
L. Scott Miller - Aerospace Engineering
Lori Miller - Sport Management
Rodney E. Miller - Fine Arts
Nancy C. Millett - Curriculum and Instruction
Cathy Moore-Jansen - Libraries
Victoria A. Mosack (2019)
Eunice Myers (2016)
Walter J. Myers - College of Fine Arts
N
Don W. Nance (2015)
Audrey Needles - Performing Arts (Deceased)
Sue Nyberg - Physician Assistant
O-S
O
P
- Larry Paarmann - Electrical and Computing Engineering
- Gerald H. Paske - Philosophy
- Charles Pearson - Elliott School of Communications (Deceased)
- Sandra K. Peer (Deceased)
- William M. Perel - Mathematics and Statistics (Deceased)
- Kathleen M. Perez - Sociology
- Martin Perline
- Maurice Pfannestiel - Economics
- Harold A. Popp - Music
Q
R
- Teresa S. Radebaugh (2015)
- Janice M. Riordan - School of Nursing
- Clayton Robarcheck - Anthropology
- Kamran Rokhsaz - Aerospace Engineering
- Ben F. Rogers - Philosophy
- Robert H. Ross (2019)
S
- Eugene Savaiano - Modern and Classical Languages and Literature (Deceased)
- Mahmoud Edwin Sawan – Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Julie A. Scherz - Health Professions
- Marlene A. Schommer-Aikins - Educational Psychology
- Robert Schrag - Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Doug Sharp - W. Frank Barton School of Business (Deceased)
- Martha Shawver - School Nursing
- Frances Shelly (2018)
- Twyla Sherman - Curriculum and Instruction
- Nicholas Smith (2016)
- Betty Smith-Campbell - Nursing
- Melvin H. Snyder - Aerospace Engineering (Deceased)
- Nancy Snyder (2016)
- David Soles (2017)
- Larry D. Spurgeon - W. Frank Barton School of Business
- Linda S. Starkey - Music Theatre
- Elaine Steinke (2018)
- Betty A. Sullivan - Nursing
- Arthur B. Sweney - Management
T-Z
T
- Juanita Tate – School Nursing
- Phillip D. Thomas - History
- William Thomson - School of Music
- Helen J. Throckmorton - English
- Richard Todd - History
U
- William E. Unrau - History
- Anthony Vizzini - Aerospace Engineering
W
- Phillip G. Wahlbeck - Chemistry
- Betty Welsbacher - School of Music (Deceased)
- Richard C. Welsbacher - School of Performing Arts
- William Wentz - Aerospace Engineering and Executive Director of NIAR
- Russell D. Widener (2019)
- Keith Williamson - Elliott School of Communication
- John H. Wilson - Curriculum and Instruction
- Donald Wineke - English
- James A. Wolff (2019)
- William F. Woods (2015)
Y
- Catherine G. Yeotis - Curriculum and Instruction
- Paul York - Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Vernon Yenne - School of Music
Faculty Awards
In the Fall Semester of each year, representatives of the Academy go through an extensive process to solicit nominations of the most effective teachers campus wide (Award winners must have been teaching on campus for at least four years to be eligible). Faculty members selected for this award receive public recognition at a Faculty Awards ceremony held in the Spring semester.
Handbooks
If you are interested in a copy of the AET 2011 Handbook [First Edition] or AET 2021 Handbook [Second Edition], please email provost@wichita.edu and we will be happy to assist you.