Brautigam and Hoffman Receive Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award

First-ever recipients nominated by peers for impactful, innovative undergraduate instruction

HUNTINGTON, Ind. — Two professors at Huntington University have received the Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, the first time the newly created award has been conferred. Professor of History Dwight Brautigam, PhD, and Associate Professor of Mathematics Andrew Hoffman, PhD, were recognized by their peers through a nomination and selection process for their significant commitment to excellence in teaching.

In their nominations, colleagues touted Brautigam’s career-long passion for engaging students and his devotion to ensuring they have “an impactful, life-changing experience.” They said his courses “empowered students to take the initiative in their own learning” and turned them into “active inquirers, investigators, and problem-solvers.” One professor observed that Brautigam’s innovative approach to teaching has been “contagious and inspiring” to many others on the faculty. Brautigam will retire at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year after 37 years at HU, having also received the student-voted Professor of the Year award on five different occasions, more than any other HU faculty member to date.

Hoffman’s fellow professors described him as a “champion of innovative techniques to engage students in active learning” since his appointment to the faculty in 2017. They also praised his “leading-edge active learning methods and strategies” for making his subject “exciting and relevant” to HU students. Hoffman has provided leadership in professional development on campus while serving as president of the Hoosier Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators.

The Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award promotes faculty professional development in the area of instruction and pedagogy and celebrates the efforts of full-time faculty who have made significant efforts to bring best practices in teaching from their respective fields into HU classrooms, labs and studios.