Lisa Heldke, professor of philosophy at Gustavus Adolphus College, received the 2004 Edgar M. Carlson Award for Distinguished Teaching.
Colleagues praise Heldke for establishing a strong intellectual climate that encourages academic growth, ethical attitudes, and dignity for all members of the community. Students cite her for promoting the exchange of ideas and critical thinking within the examination and appreciation of diverse backgrounds.
“The award astonished me,” Heldke said. “I feel tremendous gratitude to the students and colleagues who actually thought I deserved it.
“I find tremendous liberation in the idea that I am teaching philosophy to non-philosophers,” she added, “and that the most useful thing I can offer those students is an opportunity to practice a set of philosophical skills—skills I can guarantee they can use the rest of their lives as workers and as members of democratic communities.”
Heldke, a member of the philosophy department at Gustavus since 1988, received a B.A. in philosophy at Gustavus Adolphus College and her M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy at Northwestern University in Illinois.
The Edgar M. Carlson Award was established in 1971 by the Gustavus Board of Trustees to honor former president Edgar Carlson for his years of distinguished leadership and in recognition of his commitment to academic excellence. Each year at commencement a member of the Gustavus faculty is awarded for exceptional skill and effectiveness as an instructor as selected by a nominating committee of faculty, administrators, and students.
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