Peter Rabinowitz, professor of comparative literature, was named the inaugural recipient of "The Samuel and Helen Lang Prize for Excellence in Teaching"; G. Roberts Kolb, professor of music, received the "Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Award"; Ian Rosenstein, assistant professor of chemistry, was presented with "The John R. Hatch Class of 1925 Excellence in Teaching Award"; and Mitchell Stevens, assistant professor of sociology, received "The Class of 1963 Excellence in Teaching Award." The presentations took place at Hamilton's Class and Charter Day celebration, an annual convocation recognizing student and faculty excellence during the preceding academic year.
Hamilton College president Eugene M. Tobin said, "These faculty members inspire their students and serve as models of what teaching should be. We are pleased to recognize their commitment to excellence with these awards."
G. Roberts Kolb, MusicChristian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Award G. Roberts Kolb, professor of music and director of choral activities at Hamilton, joined the faculty in 1981. He is conductor of the Hamilton College and Community Oratorio Society, and a past conductor of the Syracuse Vocal Ensemble and the Cayuga Vocal Ensemble. Kolb has served as acting dean of faculty, acting dean of students, chair of the faculty, chair of the Committee on Student Activities, chair of the Committee on Academic Policy, and president of the local chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. He is a contributing author to Up Front: Becoming the Complete Choral Conductor.
In nominating Kolb for the teaching award, a student said, "He has a remarkable way of working with his students as a team, treating us as adults, and taking our ideas seriously, while remaining the professor and having complete authority. . . In watching him run choir and College Hill (singer) rehearsals, I see the kind of person I want to be."
Another student wrote, "I plan to pursue a career in college teaching myself, and I aspire to cultivate the kinds of relationships built on trust and on mutual respect with my students that Rob has with me."
The recipient of a bachelor's degree from Occidental College, Kolb studied at the Claremont School of Theology, California State University at Fullerton and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he received his doctorate in 1984. His dissertation, "Tours Ms. 168: The Music of Bouzignac," was named the outstanding dissertation of the year by the American Choral Directors Association.
Kolb is the fourth recipient of The Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Award. Recipients hold the designation, "Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching" professor for a three-year period, at which time a new recipient is named. All continuing members of the faculty with tenure are eligible for the award. Selection is made by the dean of faculty and president, based on a recommendation from an on-campus committee of students and faculty.
"The award recognizes exceptional commitment and interest in undergraduate education and has quickly become one of Hamilton's most prestigious honors," President Tobin noted.
The Christian A. Johnson Professorship is an endowed chair that was established in 1989 through the generosity of the Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation and the extended Hamilton community.
Peter Rabinowitz, Comparative LiteratureThe Samuel and Helen Lang Prize for Excellence in Teaching Rabinowitz is the first recipient of this award, which will be given annually to a senior, tenured faculty member. It will be presented on the basis of superior teaching and for having a significant and positive impact on students. The fund was established by Helen Lang, the mother of Michael C. Lang, class of 1967.
A student who was among those nominating Rabinowitz for the award wrote, "If I could start all over and go to any college in the United States, I would come to Hamilton partly because of the wonderful programs, partly because of my wonderful friends, and partly because I could not find Peter Rabinowitz anywhere else."
Rabinowitz came to Clinton in 1974 as an assistant professor of literature at Kirkland College. With the merger of Kirkland and Hamilton in 1978, he joined Hamilton College as assistant professor of comparative literature and was promoted to associate professor in 1981 and professor in 1987. He has been chair of the comparative literature department since 1994. Rabinowitz received his bachelor's degree and master's degree in Russian literature, and his Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University of Chicago. He has published extensively, including a recent book, Authorizing Readers: Resistance and Respect in the Teaching of Literature (with Michael Smith) (1998); Understanding Narrative (co-edited with James Phelan) (1994); and, Before Reading: Narrative Conventions and the Politics of Interpretation (1987, reprinted 1998). He has also authored numerous articles, reviews and short pieces.
Ian J. Rosenstein, ChemistryJohn R. Hatch Class of 1925 Excellence in Teaching Award Rosenstein came to Hamilton College in 1994 as an assistant professor of chemistry. He earned a Bachelor of Science degr
