Mount A Dean receives 3M Teaching Fellowship — one of 10 national recipients
2006-06-20 13:49:03
SACKVILLE, NB — Mount Allison’s dean of social sciences and geography professor Dr. Rob Summerby-Murray has won a 2006 3M Teaching Fellowship, building on a tradition of 3M Fellowships at Mount Allison, which also includes Professor Alex Fancy and Dr. Robert Hawkes. Dr. Summerby-Murray was one of 10 academics in Canada selected for the fellowship, which was officially announced on June 15 at the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE)’s annual conference held at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Summerby-Murray says, “I’m honoured to receive a 3M Teaching Fellowship and grateful for the supportive environment at Mount Allison that encourages teaching excellence and innovation. In addition to my contributions in the classroom, in the archive and through fieldwork, this award is a reflection of the dynamism and commitment of my colleagues over a number of years who have encouraged the pursuit of excellence in all forms of the teaching process.”
Mount Allison Vice President (Academic and Research) Dr. John Read adds, “I am delighted that teaching excellence at Mount Allison has been recognized at the national level. I would like to extend congratulations to Rob on behalf of all Mount Allison faculty.”
Rob Summerby-Murray joins Alex Fancy, professor of modern languages and literatures and director of Tintamarre, Mount Allison’s bilingual theatre troupe, and Dr. Bob Hawkes, head of Mount Allison’s physics department as a 3M Teaching Fellow. Both Alex and Bob received the award in 1988 and Alex currently serves as Chair of the Council of 3M Teaching Fellows.
Born in New Zealand, Rob Summerby-Murray was educated at the University of Canterbury and the University of Toronto. Since arriving at Mount Allison in 1992, he has taught urban, economic, regional, cultural, and historical geography at Mount Allison University, as well as courses in geographic information systems. Dr. Summerby-Murray is currently dean of social sciences at Mount Allison and secretary-treasurer of the Canadian Council of Deans of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
His current teaching specialties include the use of electronic course delivery, the encouragement of individual writing skills through both formal and informal assignments, and the use of fieldwork. Dr. Summerby-Murray’s current research interests involve the application of GIS technologies to historical cartography, the policy environments surrounding heritage landscape management and local economic development, the creation of place through collective memory and literature, images of de-industrialized small towns, industrial heritage, and the historical geography of marshlands.
Dr. Summerby-Murray is an active contributor to heritage policy development in the Town of Sackville. Recent reports have appeared in such publications as The Canadian Geographer, and The Journal of Geography in Higher Education.
In 2000, Dr. Summerby-Murray was awarded Mount Allison’s Tucker Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Association of Atlantic Universities’ Distinguished Teacher Award. In 2003, he was awarded a Paul Paré Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research at Mount Allison.
About the 3M Teaching Fellowship Awards
In 1986 3M Canada Company joined STLHE to co-sponsor the 3M Teaching Fellowships. Up to ten Fellowships are presented each year to recognize both teaching excellence and educational leadership.
The award includes a lifetime membership in STLHE, a citation, and an invitation to participate in a three-day retreat. This retreat provides the winners with an opportunity to share past teaching experiences and discuss new ideas. Colleagues typically submit nominations for the Fellowships.
Today, 3M Teaching Fellows throughout Canada represent a broad range of disciplines and work collaboratively to enhance teaching and learning at their own institutions and through larger initiatives supported by the Society. They also work collectively through the Council of 3M Teaching Fellows advocating policies and initiatives to enhance teaching and learning in Canadian Universities (www.mcmaster.ca/stlhe/3M.council/).
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