ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳

Bauer Family Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award

Recognizes a faculty member for excellence in teaching at the undergraduate level.

Award recipients receive a  $500 award.

2025 Winner

Gorjana Popović
Teaching Professor

Since joining ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳ as an instructor in the former Department of Mathematics and Science Education in 2011, Gorjana Popović has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to student success and pedagogical excellence. After being promoted to senior lecturer in 2013 and transitioning to the Department of Applied Mathematics—where she currently serves as a teaching professor—Popović has continued to make exceptional contributions to the department, student learning, and the ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳ community. This is demonstrated in her innovative teaching practices, constructivist philosophy, and dedication to her students throughout her pre-calculus courses. As a result, Popović has received above-average student evaluations, which includes students highlighting her preparedness, approachability, and respect for all learners. 

Board of Trustees Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher Award

Recognizes a faculty member who has made exceptional contributions to the teaching of undergraduate students; who has generously shared time and talent with undergraduate students; and who has demonstrated special attention to the well-being of undergraduate students in and out of the classroom.

Award recipients receive a  $5,000 award.

2025 Winner

Sang Baum Kang
Associate Professor of Finance

With a philosophy of providing an innovative, student-centered education that bridges theory and practice, Associate Professor of Finance Sang Baum Kang exemplifies ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳’s institutional mission of providing practical, technology-focused education that prepares students for meaningful careers. Kang consistently meets students where they are throughout his courses, adapting his teaching plan based on student’s prior knowledge, starting courses with clear learning objectives, and keeping lessons interactive and engaging. Outside of his courses, Kang is dedicated to community engagement as represented by his development of After School Matters Business@IIT, which introduces entrepreneurship to local high school students. He has also been a champion of enhancing academic offerings and shaping the future of business education at ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳. 

Michael J. Graff Award for Innovation in Teaching

The purpose of this award is to honor specific teaching and/or advising innovations. It recognizes teaching and/or advising practices that are designed to improve student learning and success. Examples of technologies that could be included in the criteria are artificial or machine intelligence, computer-assisted instruction, mobile learning, convergence, big data, online/cloud/web-based, multimedia, etc.

Innovative teaching is defined broadly and may include the use of new instructional technologies, the use of traditional technologies in creative ways, novel approaches to instruction, and new ways to engage students in the learning process.

The award is intended to recognize and disseminate teaching practices based on the:

• Originality of the teaching strategy or how it was implemented
• Impact on student learning and/or engagement
• Potential to adopt the teaching strategy (or key elements thereof) within or across disciplines

Innovative advising is defined broadly and is focused on the contributions that help students define and achieve their academic or research goals.

Examples of activities to be considered include but are not limited to:

• Advising on course selection
• Research focus and management
• Long-term career goals
• Personal development

Award recipients receive a $5,000 award; a $5,000 award to the winner's academic department, which is intended to encourage innovation in teaching and advising; and $2,500 to the award winner to enable the hiring of a student assistant to enable the implementation of the award winner's innovations.

 2025 Winner

Dinakar Jayarajan
Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing

From his scholarly approach to pedagogy to his innovative teaching methods, Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing Dinakar Jayarajan has exemplified what it means to be an innovative and effective educator in an increasingly data-driven business landscape. Teaching multiple technical courses in Stuart School of Business’s analytics program, Jayarajan has shown his unique ability to effectively teach technical computer science concepts to graduate business students who often have little or no prior programming experience. His thoughtfulness and methodical approach when it comes to teaching helps students build confidence and competence in material that might otherwise seem overwhelming. His thoughtful and engaging approach to teaching with his ability to transform his classroom into an active learning environment where mistakes become valuable learning opportunities have a measurable impact on his students. 

The Center for Learning Innovation Digital Teaching Innovation Award

This award recognizes and celebrates faculty who demonstrate ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳’s commitment to its culture of innovation and excellence with digital innovation in the classroom. Using digital technology, recipients of this award provide an unparalleled inclusive student experiences that enhances student learning, promotes student engagement, builds community, and positively impacts teaching quality.

Any faculty member (full-time, part-time) who teaches or taught at least one course over the reviewing period is eligible. The course modality may be in person, hybrid, or online. The course must innovatively incorporate, use, or re-imagine digital technology including, but not limited to, proprietary technology or Open Educational Resources (OER) in such a way that demonstrably:

• Enhances student learning
• Promotes best practices in student engagement
• Contributes toward an inclusive community at ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳
• Positively impacts teaching quality

Award recipients receive a $1,500 award: $1,000 will go toward the budget to expand and improve the digital teaching innovation over the next fiscal year, and the remaining $500 is a personal cash award. Over the next academic year, the Center for Learning Innovation will promote the recipients on its website and nominees may work with the Center for Learning Innovation as a resource to disseminate best practices.

2025 Winner

Keigo Kawaji
Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering

After joining ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳’s Department of Biomedical Engineering in 2018, shortly after the department launched its quantitative biomedicine initiative, Associate Professor Keigo Kawaji quickly demonstrated his expertise and dedication to the field and the university by spearheading the introduction of advanced digital tools into BME curriculum and research initiatives. Kawaji has developed a number of digital teaching initiatives, both based on his prior research and on new research directions, while exhibiting a tremendous enthusiasm in bringing research discoveries and open problems into his teaching and mentoring. His teachings on the advantages (and pitfalls) of emerging artificial intelligence technologies have even extended beyond ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳ and into the Chicago community. Kawaji’s creativity, energy, and dedication to student learning allows him to effectively teach students who have expressed great enthusiasm in his digital teaching initiatives. 

John W. Rowe Excellence in Teaching Award 

Recognizes a faculty member from a group that has been selected by their college or school to receive its college/school awards for excellence in teaching at either the undergraduate or graduate level.

Award recipients receive a $1,500 award.

2025 Winner

Steven J. Heyman
Professor of Law

For 36 years, Professor of Law Steven J. Heyman has been a pillar of the constitutional law area of Chicago-Kent College of Law’s curriculum, with a particular emphasis on First Amendment jurisprudence. Since joining ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳ in 1989 as an assistant professor and attaining full professor status in 2000, Heyman has exhibited continuous care and compassion inside and outside of the classroom. His lectures, classroom discussions, and materials have been described by students as very engaging and well-curated, exemplifying the care he puts into the topics that he teaches. His attentiveness in the classroom, coupled with his mentorship of several students and outside-the-classroom initiatives, further demonstrates how deeply he cares about the success of his students. Heyman has additionally received overtly positive and enthusiastic testimonials every year from student evaluations that consistently highlight his engaging teaching style, compassion for others, and dedication to his work and his students. 

College Excellence in Teaching Awards 

Each college at ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳ chooses a teaching award winner who was subsequently considered for the university’s Excellence in Teaching Award.

2025 Winners

• Armour College of Engineering: Alexander Flueck
• College of Computing: Stefan Muller
• Stuart School of Business: Ghazale Haddadian
• Lewis College of Science and Letters: Robert Keating
• Institute of Design: Zach Pino