Mount Allison professor Mike Fox wins national teaching award
2012-06-21 09:38:34

Mount Allison University professor Dr. Mike Fox has received a national teaching award. Fox, head of the department of geography and environment, was recently presented with the Award for Excellence in Teaching Geography at the Canadian Association of Geographers 2012 conference in Waterloo.

“This is truly an honour after teaching geography for 33 years. The fact that colleagues and students have nominated me and my professional association has recognized the importance of teaching and geographic education is certainly a career highlight for me,” Fox says.

Dr. Colin Laroque, one of Fox’s colleagues in the department of geography and environment, nominated him because of his innovative teaching and his efforts on behalf of students.

“To define teaching by Mike’s standards means one ensures that every student is reached and inspired,” says Laroque.

It is not surprising that his students nominated Fox for the award. He is a very popular professor whose courses are much sought after. Three years ago the Students’ Administrative Council (SAC) developed a new campus-wide teaching award, the Students’ Administrative Council Excellence in Teaching Award, and Fox was the first recipient.

“I wrote to many university geography departments when I was in Grade 10 asking about which courses I should take and what I needed to do to prepare myself for university,” says environmental science student Bryan Mood of Yarmouth, NS. “Mike was the only one to write back to me.”

Fox researches in the area of geographic literacy, public education and technology, and environmental education and planning. Another area of his research is social geography and community planning and he stresses the importance of community, both in his own life and in his classes. He has done things such as inviting Sackville town council to have a meeting on campus because he wanted his class to attend, but there was not enough room in council chambers. He also encourages students to work on projects that will help the community.

“He really validates student initiatives by supporting them in his courses or through independent studies. He understands that if you are really invested in a project, that is the most comprehensive type of learning experience,” says geography student Emily Hogan of Vancouver, BC.

It is also due to Fox’s efforts that the Tantramar region was added to the eight existing North American UNESCO Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development. He achieved this by bringing together a number of groups including the university, high school, the provincial and local governments, and the local First Nations. His ultimate goal was to involve students in this project.

Fox began his career as a high school teacher before going back to university to get his PhD and he still has a fondness for teaching high school. He recently obtained his high school teaching license in New Brunswick so he can volunteer his time teaching upper-level high school students’ university geography. Many of these students end up at Mount Allison, seeking out their old friend, and often go on to take geography or environmental studies.

Photo caption: Dr. Mike Fox, right, plants a tree in downtown Sackville with members of the Students’ Administrative Council (SAC), from left, Pat Joyce, Meggie MacMichael, Erik Fraser, and Mark Kroeker.