The Distinguished Teaching Awards are given to University faculty who show a mastery of their subject matter, intellectual rigor, lively curiosity, a commitment to research and a passion for teaching. Awardees receive $5,000.

Gerald Baldasty - Communications

It's the students who drive Gerald Baldasty.

The School of Communications professor, despite more than 20 years of teaching experience under his belt, continues to adapt his style to meet students' changing needs, interests and backgrounds. Perhaps more than anything, it's that ability to respond to students that separates Baldasty from other good teachers.

Gerald Baldasty

"In the classroom, Professor Baldasty — known to his graduate students as Jerry — exudes the charisma, organization and enthusiasm for the material that generally mark outstanding teachers, but underlying these outward characteristics is the quality that makes him a truly exceptional teacher: his passion for student learning," according to one student.

In fact, it was the students who motivated him when Baldasty realized the need for a more multicultural approach to his teaching. It's the students who motivate him to stay on top of popular culture. And it's the students' accomplishments in his classroom and beyond that fill him with great pride. Simply put, for Baldasty, it's all about the students.

"Everything I've done over the course of my teaching career has been done in response to students," Baldasty said recently. "They are central."

Perhaps the most significant adaptation he made was about 15 years ago when, as a young professor, he looked around his classroom and noticed things had changed. The room full of white faces he'd grown accustomed to during his days as an undergraduate at the UW had transformed into an amalgam of races, ethnicities and sexual orientations. So Baldasty began to seek ways to most effectively respond to the changing face of the student body.

His efforts have led to, among other things, two relatively new courses that he designed to explore race and gender portrayals in the media. The success of those courses and his ability to bring a multicultural perspective to all of his classes has earned him an adjunct faculty position in Women Studies and the praise of students.

"I have never been so impressed, stimulated or changed by any course I've taken at UW," said another student, referring to Baldasty's Ethnicity, Gender, and Media class. "He treated delicate subjects with the utmost diplomacy and yet intellectually pushed us all to think differently about the world around us."

A key component of Baldasty's success is being able to relate to students on their terms. To do that, he tries to stay well versed in the media world of the average undergraduate. He then uses an understanding of that popular culture to make larger points about the media. So rather than leave his job behind at the end of the day, he heads home to the television where he'll "work" by tuning in to shows that ultimately help him in the classroom.

"I know that a lot of young women will watch a show like Ally McBeal. So if there's a point I want to make about contemporary television and the political economy of contemporary television, I use Ally McBeal rather than just make the point using a show I like. That provides an example that makes sense to them and that's what good teachers do. So I work really hard trying to do that."

Another key component for Baldasty is trying to make the learning process active. He tries to involve every student in the learning process, to actively engage them whether the class is a huge lecture hall or a small seminar, whether the student is a high-achiever or just average. And he takes great pleasure in some of the less obvious success stories.

"I had a student and I guess you would describe him as a C-plus student," Baldasty recalled. "He worked really hard and through his own energy came out of the class with a B. Those are the moments I remember and feel the best about. With an A student, you just get out of the way. But I get a real sense of satisfaction when I can help a student fully exploit his or her own abilities. That's very rewarding."

Steve Hill, University Week

Distinguished Teaching Awards: Guozhong Cao - Materials Science and Engineering Stanley Chernicoff - Geology Stephen Gloyd - Health Services Bruce Kochis - Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences (Bothell) Julie Nicoletta - Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences (Tacoma) Robin Wright - Zoology