If you think a Case Western Reserve University undergraduate teacher has done an outstanding job in the classroom this year or a faculty or staff member has shown exceptional mentoring abilities, now is the time to nominate them for the Carl F. Wittke Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching or the J. Bruce Jackson, M.D., Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring.

The winners of these awards will be honored during commencement in May.

This year's winner of the Jackson Award will be its second honoree. Jackson, a 1952 Adelbert College alumnus, established the mentoring award last year in honor of Dean Carl F. Wittke, who had served as his own adviser, mentor and friend while Jackson was an undergraduate at Western Reserve University.
Wittke is a former faculty member, dean and vice president of Western Reserve University.

Jackson first encountered Wittke when the Adelbert College student employment center sent him to do gardening work in the dean's yard.

Jackson said that Wittke saw how well he could make things grow and felt the chemistry major would make an excellent medical doctor.

Wittke took a special interest in Jackson's academic career and told the student, who was struggling with his grades, that he might consider changing from chemistry to pre-med-although Jackson said he questioned whether he would ever get into medical school, because at the time, students needed a 3.0 grade point average even to receive an application.

"I was a small fish in a big ocean," said Jackson, who was from New Philadelphia, Ohio, and struggled at first to adapt to the life on the Cleveland campus.

Wittke helped him keep on his educational track-even reprimanding Jackson if he felt that things like his fraternity's pranks against the Mather women might be interfering with his classroom achievements.

"I was able to pull my grades up," said the doctor, who graduated from the Ohio State University medical school.

Over the years, Jackson didn't forget his mentor and contributed to the Wittke Award fund until his contributions enabled the establishment of the new mentoring award.

He added that many times the recipients of education do not give enough credit to their educational sources. He is "delighted" with the new mentoring award that recognizes those who are helping others achieve their dreams and goals.

The Wittke Award, established in 1971, recognizes outstanding excellence in undergraduate teaching during the current academic year. Two current or emeritus members of the faculty with regular teaching appointments are selected as recipients of the honor.

Nominees of both awards will be invited to a reception, hosted by President Edward M. Hundert, at Harcourt House on April 7.

Nominations are due March 19.

For additional information or a nomination form, visit http://ess.case.edu/wittke/htm.

Return to the online edition of the 2-12-04 Campus News.