Congratulations to David Chu!
Please join us in congratulating doctoral student David Chu, who has won a Graduate Part Time Instructor Appreciation Award from the Graduate School in recognition of howhehas "risen to the challenges presented by teaching during the pandemic.” It is an honor richly deserved.
David has been an outstanding teacher for the department for several years. He has taught in a wide variety of courses: he started as a section leader and then led his own Latin classes with extraordinary success and last year taughtlecture classes such as Greek and Roman Epic. Now he is teaching our department’s writing intensivecourse. David responded with energy, wisdom, and balance to thechallenges of teaching remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. When we pivoted to remote instruction last March, he quickly overhauled and redesigned his Greek andRoman epic class to maintain academicrigor and deliver the planned course content while, at the same time, taking student needs and difficulties into account. Although itwas extremely time-consuming, he not only set up asynchronous lectures, but continued to hold synchronous class session to go over material andanswer questions on thelectures. He extended his virtual office hours, to make sure that all of his students regardless of new constraints on their time—or even different times zones—continue tohave access to him. He has been outstanding as the department’s lead TA for the Center for Teaching and Learning. Every semester, he repeatedly encouragesTA’s to dothe video consultations with the Center for Teaching and Learning. Most impressive, he organized an introductory teaching seminar for our entering class of graduatestudents, particularly welcome given the uncertainty surrounding teaching remote, hybrid, or in personthis fall.
David has long and richly deserved special recognition for his exemplary teaching and his efforts to maintain this very high standard in present circumstances is even moreadmirable and impressive. He is a most deserving candidate for this award.
