Kelsen LaBerge, Ph.D., a professor in Â鶹ÊÓƵ's College of Aeronautics and Engineering (CAE), has been named one of three recipients of the 2024 Outstanding Teaching Award, the highest honor for non-tenure track and part-time faculty at the university.
LaBerge, who joined Â鶹ÊÓƵ after a decade-long career with the U.S. Army, was surprised with the award during a class on Oct. 2. The honor comes with a $1,500 prize and recognizes exceptional achievements in teaching.
"It is a challenge every day in the classroom," LaBerge said upon receiving the award. "I always try to make it better, and I think that's what makes an instructor a good instructor."
Melissa Dyer, a nursing professor and member of the selection committee, emphasized the significance of the award. "This is our highest non-tenure track faculty award university-wide for all of our campuses and all of our majors," Dyer said. "You are one of three recipients of our thousands of faculty, so you really are among the finest."
LaBerge's path to education was inspired by a desire for more fulfilling work. "After working for the Army for almost 10 years, things had become stale," she explained. "My father retired from Honeywell and became a professor, which he very much enjoys, so I thought I would try my hand at it too!"
Her passion for teaching is reinforced by memorable experiences with students. "Every time we have an Intro to Engineering competition and the students cheer for each other's successes and support each other through failures," LaBerge shared. She also finds motivation in students' progress, recalling experiences working with students who improve their exam scores by 45 percentage points from the first exam to the final in Statics class. “Their enthusiasm is contagious!"
LaBerge's teaching philosophy centers on building a strong foundation for students in their early engineering courses. "I'm hopeful that I can ensure that they have a good base understanding of concepts from their freshman and sophomore years to build upon later," she said. "I'm hopeful that I instill in my students a sense of pride in the work they do and turn in, along with a better ability to be clear about their problem-solving process."
For LaBerge, the award serves as validation of her efforts in the face of self-doubt. "I think I end up with 'imposter syndrome' just as easily as anyone else," she admitted. "While the award doesn't eliminate the number of times I question myself and my abilities, it does mean that there is someone out there that believes in my abilities and appreciates them."
The Outstanding Teaching Award is sponsored by the University Teaching Council and parallels the Distinguished Teaching Awards for tenure-track faculty sponsored by the Kent Alumni Association.