Announcing the Winners of the 2008 Tina and David Bellet Arts and Sciences Teaching Excellence Awards
03/11/08
Melanie Dreyer-Lude, an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre Arts, and Jeff Oaks, a lecturer in the Department of English, are this year's winners of the Tina and David Bellet Arts and Sciences Teaching Excellence Award. Associate Dean Juan Manfredi commends the honorees on the many contributions they have made to the quality of instruction in the School of Arts and Sciences.
Established in 1998 with a gift from the Bellet family, this annual award recognizes outstanding and innovative teaching in undergraduate studies in the School of Arts and Sciences. Each fall, students and faculty are encouraged to submit nominations to the associate dean for undergraduate studies. A committee reviews the nominations and requests dossiers from eligible candidates. Honorees are announced in the spring, and each receives a one-time cash prize of $5,000. Mr. and Mrs. Bellet will present this year's awards at a dinner on April 9.
Melanie Dreyer-Lude runs the performance training program at the University of Pittsburgh and works as a freelance director. She holds an MFA in directing from Northwestern University and an MA in dramatic literature from Washington University. Fluent in German, she specializes in the translation and direction of contemporary German plays and is currently working toward producing bilingual productions to tour both in the United States and Germany. Read more about Melanie Dreyer-Lude >
Jeff Oaks teaches poetry and serves as managing director of the Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series. He is the author of two chapbooks, The Unknown Country (State Street Press, 1992) and The Moon of Books (Ultima Obscura Press, 2000). He has an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh and among his awards are two Academy of American Poets Prizes, three fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and an Individual Artist Grant from the Pittsburgh Foundation. Read more about Jeff Oaks >