1988 was a banner year for Mount Allison University. Two of our teachers earned the coveted 3M-Teaching Award — Alex Fancy and Dr. Bob Hawkes. Alex Fancy, Mount Allison’s Director of Drama and long-time professor in the Modern Languages and Literatures Department, has been recognized for his award-winning teaching across campus, regionally, and nationally.

Fancy has been awarded frequently for his experimentation, passion, and involvement with teaching throughout his career.

He was the first recipient of Mount Allison’s Herbert and Leota Tucker Teaching Award in 1984 and the first recipient of the Association of Atlantic Universities Distinguished Teaching Award in 1991, following his 3M Teaching Award.

In 2004 Fancy was recognized on campus with a two-year appointment as the first recipient of the McCain Professorship in Teaching. In addition, he has been chair of the Council of 3M Teaching Fellows. In his position he has been actively involved in bringing the validation of teaching to a wider audience, including decision makers. Fancy avows, "Teaching is an art, a craft, and a science, and we’re working to bring this to the attention of people to show that teaching can be enhanced through methods and strategies."

Regionally Professor Fancy has done much to illustrate how theatre can raise critical issues in teaching and learning. Tintamarre Theatre, established by Fancy 30 years ago, has staged bilingual dramatic productions at Mount Allison each year for three decades, to promote the acceptance of diversity and to enhance appreciation of the role that theatre and drama play in education. For over 17 years, Professor Fancy has taken a group of Mount Allison students on tour to junior and senior high schools throughout the Maritimes with a Tintamarre production. These connections between theatre and education drew the attention of the Lilly Conference on College Teaching in Ohio. Fancy has been a featured presenter and participant in this esteemed forum since 1998.