Mount Allison professor honoured with AAU Distinguished Teaching Award
2011-09-15 15:14:12

Commerce professor Rosemary Polegato is the sixth Mount Allison professor to receive regional award

SACKVILLE, NB — Dr. Rosemary Polegato in Mount Allison University’s Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies celebrated the beginning of this school year with an extra bit of good news. Dr. Polegato is a 2011 recipient of the Association of Atlantic Universities (AAU) Distinguished Teaching Award for excellence in teaching — the only regional award of its kind.

Polegato, who teaches courses in marketing, is known for her exceptional teaching approach and style. She has developed courses that explore arts and culture management, as well as the relationship between consumer behaviour and environmental consciousness — unique offerings in Atlantic Canada. Her lessons have been described as those that “stay with you for life” by students and colleagues describe Polegato as a “leading force” in the development of community-based learning and collaboration to encourage cultural engagement at the local level.

Mount Allison Vice President, Academic and Research Berkeley Fleming says, “Dr. Polegato's innovative and effective teaching style is known and respected well beyond the classroom. I wish to congratulate her on this well-deserved award from the AAU.”

Eileen Herteis, director of Mount Allison's Purdy Crawford Teaching Centre, and chair of the AAU Coordinating Committee on Faculty Development, echoes this sentiment. “Dr. Polegato combines marketing and the arts in unique ways, and in doing so has gained the respect of students and peers across the region. She encourages her students to branch out of their usual interests with her innovative course offerings and class projects, opening doors for many students who might not otherwise have made such connections. Her dedication is typical of Mount Allison University’s commitment to teaching excellence.”

Polegato has built vibrant relationships with the Arts community to benefit her students, and she encourages them to do the same through internships, projects, and attendance at local events, galleries, and performances. Students of hers will once again engage in the annual Culture Days celebrations on Friday, September 30, 2011. A national event, Mount Allison student actors, artists, and musicians will showcase their talents between 1 and 2 p.m. in downtown Sackville. Each performer works with a pair from Polegato’s arts and culture marketing class, who will design and help promote the event, giving the students hands-on experience assisting with set-ups, equipment and props; creating and distributing promotional material; and doing some crowd control.

The AAU Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes professors from its 17 universities across Atlantic Canada. Polegato is the sixth Mount Allison professor to receive the award. Past recipients include Alex Fancy, Robert Lapp, Robert Summerby-Murray, Erin Steuter, and Elizabeth Wells, four of whom were also named 3M National Teaching Fellows for their excellent teaching and educational leadership.

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