Faculty Award

Dr. Emenike Ukazim Receives 2012 Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award

by Alana J. Mauger '97

Best known for his unwavering dedication to learning and irresistible sense of humor, Professor of Mathematics Dr. Emenike Ukazim received the 2012 Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award during the Commencement ceremony.

Each year a faculty member is selected by peers and students to receive the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for teaching excellence.

In a letter of nomination, one of his students wrote that Professor Ukazim is “animated, gregarious, humorous and tries to impress on the students that math is fun. It’s almost like he sneaks the learning in, and you realize when you left that you learned a lot of new stuff.”

Another student writes that Dr. Ukazim “is amazing. He really helped me to understand math in a completely different way. I can now think mathematically. This is truly a break-through class for me, and he is a teacher I will always remember.”

During his 20-year tenure at the College, Dr. Ukazim taught at least 10 different math courses — from basic arithmetic and beginning algebra to calculus and analytic geometry — in both a traditional classroom setting as well as online.

While the content of those courses is diverse, the common denominator is Dr. Ukazim’s passion for math and commitment to the success and well-being of his students.

That commitment extends beyond the classroom, too. Professor Ukazim is the long-standing faculty advisor to the African Students Association, and is a steadfast supporter of annual student-sponsored events, such as the Pan African Festival and International Night.

He also serves the College as a member of the President’s Advisory Council on Diversity and was among the first group of faculty selected to participate in the President’s Leadership Academy in 2006.

Off campus, Dr. Ukazim and his wife Chidi, who is an English as a Second Language Instructor at the College, are instrumental in helping to develop the Intercontinental Education Community Center in Otampa, Nigeria. This sustainable community center model targets adult literacy rates, low income levels and lack of household power through a series of projects.

Faculty and friends congratulate a surprised Dr. Emenike Ukazim on his receipt of the 2012 Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award.

Photo by John Welsh