Best Undergraduate Teachers

In the nation, that is. And among the three from UGA are two from Franklin College, according to the Princeton Review and RateMyProfessors.com:

John Knox, an associate professor of geography; Audrey Haynes, an associate professor of political science; and Charles Kutal, a chemistry professor and associate dean of the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, are listed among The Best 300 Professors, which was released April 3.

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The Best 300 Professors, which is the first comprehensive guidebook to America's top undergraduate professors, is unusual in that it started based on data collected from undergraduate students. It relies heavily on the opinions they give about the professors they learn from daily.

"The students are in the classroom," Knox said. "They make their opinions known on this site [RateMyProfessors.com], and, to my knowledge, the Princeton Review is the first to use this national rating system."

Congratulations to all three on the very nature of this recognition and the process by which they were selected - by students. I know Knox is especially endeared to students across our campus; Haynes is a very knowledgeable expert who is able to provide useful insight outside the classroom (often to media, which is no small trick) as well as to her students. For associate dean Kutal to be ranked so highly by his students is a great tribute to his dedication to them and to his teaching. Administrative duties can become a de facto sort of event horizon for all other engagement when talented faculty are selected for leadership positions. It is surely a struggle but Kutal provides inspiration for achievement - both for his students and his colleagues.