Lewis & Clark Professor Nationally Recognized for Excellence

A psychology professor at Lewis & Clark College was named one of four national professors of the year Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Jerusha Detweiler-Bedell, who has taught at Lewis & Clark since 2001, was recognized for outstanding teaching and mentoring of undergraduate students by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Detweiler-Bedell, 35, immerses her students in the study of psychology by pushing them to do their own research and share the results with others.

"Often in a classroom, students sit back as observers," she said. "I move them from the state of being an observer to being an active, engaged participant."

For example, students taking her community psychology class do research on campus issues and propose solutions to administrators, faculty, staff and students. Their work has resulted in changes to the student center and career center.

Detweiler-Bedell co-created the college's behavioral health and social psychology lab, where students work in teams of three on research projects.

Abigail Hazlett, a 2005 graduate who worked in the lab, wrote in a nomination letter that Detweiler-Bedell "never let me rest or get too comfortable."

"She consistently demanded that I rise to meet new challenges, and it was this stimulating atmosphere that made me truly get excited about psychological research," Hazlett wrote.

Colleges and universities nominated nearly 300 professors nationally for the award. State-level winners from 44 states, the District of Columbia and Guam also were announced Thursday. Oregon's professor of the year is Richard Ellis, a politics professor at Willamette University.

Source: Oregon Live