Catherine Clifford Receives Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching

Graceland University Assistant Professor of English Catherine Clifford, PhD

Graceland University Assistant Professor of English Catherine Clifford, PhD, was the recipient of the Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching, an award given annually to a recipient at the spring commencement ceremony. This year’s awards were postponed and then presented in the virtual commencement Oct. 3.

Clifford has been a shining star on campus since her arrival in the fall of 2016. One of her students shared that “Dr. Clifford’s interest and dedication to her classes have made her one of the best teachers at Graceland.” Obviously, this student is joined by many others in their thinking since last year was the third year in a row that Clifford was a finalist for this award.

Clifford’s teaching goal is to call students to be active participants in their learning, and she does this by building connections with her students. Her students appreciate that connection, and as one student expressed it, “She has always shown a vested interest in helping all of her students succeed. She has encouraged, inspired and taught me much about myself as a student.” Another student declared, “Dr. Clifford always encourages me to push my mind and my abilities to the extremes of everything I can accomplish.”

Each year, student voting determines the finalists for this award, and then the final decision on this prestigious honor is made by a committee of students and faculty. In addition to the framed certificate and apple award that is presented, the Alumni Board provides $1,000 for professional development to the recipient of this award.

Learn more about all the faculty awards presented this year in the full story here.