University of Michigan
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Professor Elizabeth Tibbetts won the 2012 Class of 1923 Memorial Teaching Award for outstanding teaching of undergraduates. 

Award recipients are selected each year by the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Executive Committee from among those recommended for promotion from assistant professor to associate professor with tenure who have been outstanding teachers during their first years on the faculty. While this award recognizes teaching, it is only given to individuals whose achievements show promise for a successful career as a scholar. 

“The Executive Committee was deeply impressed by your overall teaching record, your demonstrable record of effort and improvement over time, and your creative strategies in the classroom (we commented in particular on your innovative uses of real world examples, and one member was decidedly enthusiastic about your lesson using Spiderman and He-Man),” states the award letter from LSA Dean and Professor Terrence J. McDonald. “The committee’s high praise took particular focus on your ability to use your lab as a teaching resource, and many commented about the significant numbers of students who have worked, either with you directly, or with your graduate students and on the eight co-authored papers that have included undergraduates. This is extraordinary evidence of strong, committed and deeply important pedagogical work.” 

The Class of 1923 Memorial Teaching Award consists of a certificate acknowledging achievements in undergraduate teaching and a prize of $5,000, which will be presented to Tibbetts officially at the fall 2012 meeting of the LSA faculty. Congratulations!