Excellence in Teaching, 2015
Natural Resources and the Environment
Senior Lecturer Mary Friedman is the face, heart and soul of our Community and Environmental Planning major. Although her teaching evaluations are superior and typically marked by comments such as "simply the best," "nobody cares more," and "more than a great teacher," they speak to a higher value than instruction alone - the value of student lives and futures.
Mary is inspirational to students. One wrote: "Dr. Friedman not only prepares students to have the necessary skills, but her courses allow students to truly get a feel for their future employment through lesson plans that encourage discussion, interaction, debate, case study analyses and field trips attending local stakeholder meetings. Students are prepared to realize what the job is before finishing a four-year degree." This sounds a lot like one of our "newest" institutional goals at UNH, but is standard operating procedure for Dr. Friedman.
Mary is an unbelievable teacher - incredibly dedicated to her key roles of teaching, advising and mentoring, and an outstanding representative of the department, college and university. Her students would never describe her as an "instructor" - Mary Friedman is a consummate teacher.
By: Jon M. Wraith, Dean, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture
About this Award
Each year, the University selects a small number of its outstanding faculty for special recognition of their achievements in teaching, scholarship, and service. Awards for Excellence in Teaching are given in each college and school, and University-wide awards recognize public service, research, teaching, and engagement.
