By Amanda Hunt
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Five stars of teaching are up for a student sponsored faculty award.
The final nominees of the University of Arizona Five Star Faculty Award were named this week. They are William Bickel, professor of physics; Dan Dolata, assistant professor of chemistry; Adel Gamal, professor of Near Eastern studies; Kamakshi Murti, associate professor of German; and Jim Todd, adjunct assistant professor of political science.
Nominations were taken last week on the University of Arizona Mall and ballot boxes were stationed in the Student Union, the Main Library and the Park Student Center.
The winner of the award, to be announced in early April, will receive a plaque and a gift certificate to Anthony's in the Foothills. The recipient will also have his or her name engraved on a plaque in the Terrace Lounge.
The award is entirely student-sponsored and was started in 1983. In the decision-making, a subcommittee of 15 students visits the classes and conduct interviews with the candidates. They also evaluate questionnaire statements from the candidates and comments from students in the classes.
Sharlene Mann, program coordinator at the Honors Center, said, "It's not a popularity contest." The award is based on the quality of the comments on the ballots received, not on the number, she said.
Mann estimated that were about 200 nominations. A final count has not been determined.
Gamal said he was not really surprised that he was nominated because he has been in the past. "I'm very pleased, of course ... I've always had a good relationship with my students," he said.
Gamal won the award in 1988.
Dolata said he was pleased with the nomination and surprised that he was one of the final five. He said he has been nominated almost every year since he began teaching here in 1987.
Carrol McLaughlin, professor of music, was last year's winner.