2012 Excellence Award Winners
Each year the Oakland University Senate Teaching and Learning Committee and the University Research Committee honor faculty whose teaching and research efforts have achieved singular praise or recognition. These individuals receive the Teaching Excellence Award, Research Excellence Award, New Investigator Research Excellence Award or Excellence in Teaching Award for their work. Recipients are chosen based on nominations submitted by Oakland Students, faculty and staff, student letters of recommendation and materials provided by the nominee.
Teaching Excellence Award - Tenure
Jeffrey R. Insko, PH.D.
Associate Professor of English
Jeffery R. Frisko joined Oakland University in 2003 as an associate professor in the Department of English, he developed and taught classes at all levels from general education to graduate courses. Dr. Insko is an innovative instructor and was the first on campus to use the real-time videoconferencing software Elluminate. He is a student mentor who has advised numerous Meeting of the Minds papers, Honors College Projects, and master's theses. For Dr. Insko, teaching is "endlessly invigorating," and he designs courses to be "exciting and demanding, inspiring and challenging, fun and (occasionally) painful." His students describe him as a passionate instructor with "enthusiasm and an incredible depth of knowledge" and "tough, but compassionate."
Excellence in Teaching Award - Non-tenure
Doris C. Plantus, PH.D.
Special Lecturer of English
doris C. Plantus has been a special lecturer at Oakland University since 2009. Teaching a wide variety of courses in literature, screenwriting and film, her background in music, dance and linguistic and cultural awareness lends an interdisciplinary approach to all of her teaching whether in general education, in the Honors College, in seminars or online.
The online version of The Bible as Literature course that she created remains popular with students. Dr. Plantus is described as "exceedingly passionate about cultivating a love of knowledge and achievement" in her students. Students praise her course with comments such as: she has "an unusual ability to connect with students, inspire deep thought, and help students to love learning"; she created "an engaging environment that stretched students"; "she is free-thinking, multidisciplinary, creative, positive and inquisitive"; and finally, "our world needs more professors like Doris Plantus."