Flowers, cake, a surprise announcement and a round of applause greeted the winner of this year's Five Star Faculty Award, the only student-nominated award given to faculty members at the UA.

The award committee "shocked" Elizabeth Harrison, assistant professor of East Asian studies, during her Japanese humanities class Friday when they told her she had received the award.

Harrison said the award is a great honor to receive, especially because it comes from her students. While cutting a cake with five blue stars on it, she added "Teaching is what I am here for - it's more important than anything else."

"It's important to be alive as a scholar and be able to challenge one's students," Harrison said.

Diana Linden, English literature and creative writing junior, said Harrison "is well organized and makes every effort to help her students."

Rosey Truong, English literature junior, said, "Her lectures are diverse and she uses a variety of visual aids to teach."

Harrison, who taught Japanese history to American students in Kyoto, Japan, said, "There was no sense in sitting in a library learning about Japan when the students were living in the city where Japanese history was created."

Harrison said she took her students out of the classroom so they could see the city, learn its history and talk to the people.

She said she uses a "variety of visual learning aids because you never know what is going to work best for each student."

Her creative teaching methods helped her win the award.

Laura Lane, award committee member said, "The decision was tough and came down to a fraction of a point. The variety of techniques she used is what tipped the scales.

"Harrison has lots of humility as a teacher."

Harrison went to Japan in 1978 to complete her dissertation. Eleven years and two children later, she returned the United States to teach at Carlton College in Minnesota.

Harrison, who has been with the UA for five years, plans to take the next academic school year off to complete two manuscripts.

The four other finalists in the competition were Richard Cosgrove of the History department, Donald Heckerman of Economics, Frank Romer of Classics and Richard Saunders of Computer Science.