This prestigious award recognizes University of Manitoba educators who have demonstrated continuing teaching excellence and made significant contributions to advancing teaching and learning at UM.

Jennifer Watt

Professor, Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, Faculty of Education

Students and colleagues alike commend Jennifer Watt for her passion, empathy and creativity, which are having a transformative impact in the field of education.

Watt is deeply committed to advancing equity and social justice in education. Since joining the University of Manitoba in a faculty position in 2017, her teaching has inspired learners at all stages – from first-year undergraduates to experienced educators – to view teaching as a pathway to building a more compassionate and inclusive world.

She played a pivotal role in developing Introduction to Education: What It Means to Teach, a course grounded in the themes of Belonging, Meaning, Purpose, and Hope (outlined in “Mamàhtawisiwin”, a 2022 Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning Indigenous education policy document) and the four guiding questions taught by the late Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair. Due to its popularity, the course has expanded from three to five sections, drawing hundreds of undergraduate students. One student reflected, “Her class has taught me so much about the education system and gave me insight into whether teaching was the career for me. I have never felt so welcomed, cared for and appreciated in a classroom.”

Watt’s innovative approaches include thoughtfully designed teaching strategies and assessments that respect student autonomy, honour diversity, and encourage reflection and growth. Her “Choose Your Own Adventure” assignment, for example, offers students multiple pathways to demonstrate their learning in ways that reflect their identities, experiences and aspirations.

She also co-leads the Manitoba Writing Project and co-teaches a Summer Writing Institute with her colleague, Michelle Honeyford. The 6-credit graduate/post-diploma course brings together educators, researchers and writers to explore the transformative power of writing and place-based inquiry. Each year, this unique program is situated in a new context, from King’s Park to public murals and monuments across Manitoba.

Beyond the classroom, Watt shares her expertise widely through a variety of platforms – webinars, podcasts, creative multimedia tools and experiential learning activities, making knowledge accessible and impactful. Her passion for teaching is contagious, and her pedagogy – rooted in care, accountability and community – is shaping the next generation of compassionate, justice-oriented educators.

Wan Wang

Instructor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts

Wan Wang is a dedicated and passionate educator whose teaching has had a profound impact on undergraduate psychology students, particularly in the areas of research methods and assessment.

Wang teaches multiple sessions of three research courses that form the foundation for most programs within the Department of Psychology. Her student-centred approach makes abstract and technically complex research concepts both understandable and engaging. By grounding her pedagogy in self-determination theory, she fosters student motivation and well-being by addressing key needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness.

Her teaching strategies combine rigor with relevance, helping students build competency in critical thinking and problem-solving skills, leading to high engagement. In a glowing review from one student, they noted how Wang put them at ease despite the challenging material: “Dr. Wang is really good at explaining concepts that normally would be daunting and stressful.” She integrates current and relatable content – such as the ethical use of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT – and develops experiential learning projects that allow students to pursue topics aligned with their own interests. She also demonstrates how their own research activities can contribute to ongoing efforts of reducing barriers to access building a more just society.

Wang is also deeply committed to her own professional growth and to advancing teaching and learning at UM. She regularly participates in teaching workshops both at the university and through external organizations and has received funding for research projects that enhance student learning, supported by the Provost’s Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Support Fund and the Faculty of Arts’ Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund. A strong advocate for knowledge mobilization, she actively shares her research findings and teaching practices with colleagues. Since joining UM in 2019, she has received multiple teaching awards from both university administrative units and student-led organizations.

Through her exemplary dedication and innovative use of psychological principles in teaching, Wang has positively impacted thousands of undergraduate students in the Department of Psychology.

The University of Manitoba proudly congratulates Jennifer Watt and Wan Wang on this well-deserved recognition of their excellence in teaching.

This award will be formally presented to her at the 2025 Fall Convocation. As part of the honour, she will also deliver a presentation at UM’s New Faculty Orientation and/or through the Teaching and Learning Certificate program. 

Thorpe, a professor in the Faculty of Arts and Fellow of St. John’s College, was attending a teaching workshop when she received the news. “I had a feeling I’d find out that day,” she recalls. During a break, she checked her email, and there it was! Her friend, Dr. Christine Stewart was nearby to celebrate with a congratulatory hug. 

Nominated by Dr. Adele Perry, Thorpe’s application included a teaching dossier, a statement of educational leadership, and letters from colleagues, students and former students. “People didn’t have to share with me what they wrote, but many sent me their letters, and it really was lovely to hear from students how my teaching has affected their lives,” she says.  

Since joining UM in 2012, Thorpe has developed a dynamic, student-centered approach to teaching. She prefers not to rely on traditional lectures. Instead, she brings in real-world examples such as current events, films, or plays that make course concepts tangible and relevant. 

“You can understand the world through these ideas, but you can also understand the ideas by connecting them to the world,” she says. 

Whether she’s encouraging students to do creative projects or attend a film screening, Thorpe emphasizes course work that gets students interested.

“When something matters to students, they’re more likely to remember it. They take pride in their work, they share it with others, and it becomes meaningful to them.” 

She also draws a comparison between teaching and coaching basketball.

“You wouldn’t just show someone how you shoot the ball and expect them to know how to shoot. They have to practice. Teaching isn’t about showing off your skills; it’s about helping students build their own.” 

Over time, she has grown more comfortable with making mistakes in the classroom. “I used to worry that if a student said something problematic, everything would fall apart. Now, I know I can go back the next class and say, ‘Here’s how I wish I’d responded.’ It’s another kind of teaching moment, showing that if the goal is to learn, then making mistakes is part of learning.” 

That mindset of learning as a shared, evolving process is what drives her teaching today. She focuses on helping students build lasting skills, rather than cramming in as much content as possible. “It’s about learning how to learn, how to approach text, and how to ask better questions. That’s what stays with people.” 

And stay with them it does. Former students frequently return, sometimes years later, to tell her just how much her classes meant. One former student, now a high school teacher, recounted the impact of her Introductory to Women and Gender Studies course. Another, now in graduate school, recalled every reading and concept from Thorpe’s class. Both times affirmed her passion for teaching.  

Thorpe is also proud to be the co-founder of Decolonizing Lens, a film and discussion series she created in collaboration with Kaila Johnston of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and Julia Lafreniere of the Winnipeg Art Gallery. The series showcases Indigenous filmmakers and fosters dialogue on decolonization and storytelling. This June, she will attend ImagineNATIVE, the world’s largest Indigenous film and media arts festival, to discover new works and draw inspiration for upcoming Decolonizing Lens events. 

Currently on research leave, Thorpe is preparing to deliver a workshop to help educators develop their teaching philosophies and build teaching dossiers. She also looks forward to incorporating new storytelling techniques she picked up at a recent workshop into her classes. 

Dr. Thorpe’s dedication to making education relevant, reflective, and inclusive has left a lasting impact on her students and colleagues alike. St John’s College congratulates her on this well-deserved recognition and looks forward to seeing the impact of her work in the years to come. 

Dr. Johny Stephen, Term Instructor, Department of Environment and Geography – Award of Excellence, Undergraduate Teaching

Dr. Johny Stephen

Dr. Johny Stephen is a kind and thoughtful educator within the Riddell Faculty. It is clear that he has a passion for the work he does, and he connects deeply with the students he teaches. The topics that are taught by Dr. Johny Stephen reflect an inter-disciplinary understanding on a variety of ideas, and his interests range from discussing the disciplines of fisheries, environmental law and management, political geography, and natural resource governance.

Congratulations, Johny! The faculty is proud to have you as part of the team.

Dr. Nicole Wilson, Assistant Professor, Department of Environment and Geography – Award of Excellence, Graduate Teaching

Dr. Nicole Wilson

Dr. Nicole Wilson is a lively and compassionate educator, known for the effort she puts into her lectures. She finds ways to genuinely connect with her students and approaches a range of discussion topics with respectful determination. Her areas of interest include research on Indigenous peoples, environmental governance, and environmental change in the Arctic. In particular, Dr. Nicole Wilson examines the many ways that Indigenous peoples are asserting their self-determination and revitalizing their governance systems in response to stressors, such as climate change and resource development.

Congratulations, Nicole! The faculty is always motivated by your courageous efforts.

Dr. Brock Edwards, Instructor, Department of Environment and Geography – Graduate Student Teaching Award

Dr. Brock Edwards

Dr. Brock Edwards is known to the faculty as a hard-working and patient educator who engages with students from all walks of life. He is enthusiastic in his discussions with students, staff, and faculty alike, and his approachability makes it easy to start a conversation. His teaching interests revolve around a foundational understanding of earth systems and ecology, where interconnected environmental processes are linked to issues on local, regional, and global scales. Academically, Dr. Brock Edwards is interested in researching the environmental behaviour of contaminants such as mercury and hydrocarbons, volcanic hazards and air quality, and environmental ethics and deep ecology.

Congratulations, Brock! The faculty is honoured to contribute to your research.

Szilagyi joined the Faculty of Law in 2021, and brings to the University of Manitoba, an unprecedented research focus on Law and Technology. She studies the intersection of technology law and legal theory with artificial intelligence, focusing on transdisciplinary research, combining her educational backgrounds in engineering and law with her experience in legal practice. Szilagyi holds a BSc in Engineering, as well as JD, LLM, and PhD degrees in law. Recent research projects include smart agriculture; social robotics; science fiction and the law; ethical frameworks for automated mobility; and conceptualizing the impacts of generative AI on the law. At Robson Hall, she teaches Property Law, and an upper-year seminar of her own design titled Law, Technology, and the Future.

Szilagyi received several independent nominations from students for The Barney Sneiderman Award, and those nominations came with multiple excellent letters of support. The selection committee notes that one student wrote:  “Dr. Szilagyi is nothing short of an exceptional educator. She is dedicated to exceptional pedagogy and diversity of curricula, encouraging students’ curiosity, and enriching and elevating students to their full potential.” Another stated, “On a personal note, Dr. Szilagyi made me love the law. I came to law school for the sole purpose of graduating, practicing and getting on with my life.  As a result of Dr. Szilagyi’s instruction, I now look forward to a career filled with studying, learning, and expanding my understanding of the law and all of its histories, philosophies and intricacies.”

Upon receiving the award, Szilagyi shared some thoughts on teaching that demonstrate how her own love for the law translates to her students: “Teaching law students is a fantastic job,” she explained. “I love meeting students at the very beginning of their legal careers and coasting on their wave of enthusiasm as they discover law’s possibilities and prevailing stories for the first time.

“As legal educators, we have an unparalleled opportunity to help shape the next generation of legal thought. I particularly appreciate the chance to explore emerging societal issues with students through the lens of law and technology. In my classes, we discuss novel technological issues ripped from the headlines, combined with philosophy and legal theory. I hope my students enter their careers with an understanding of how law, policy, and regulation intersect with technological development.

“While it was wonderful to be recognized with this award, the real honour is that my students took the time and energy to nominate me. I am grateful for the recognition!” – Dr. Katie Szilagyi

Slonosky is a practicing professional instructor and supervising lawyer on the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic management team. He brings to the Faculty of Law, years of practice experience as well as a deep commitment to experiential learning and professionalism that ensures the best possible training for Manitoba’s future generation of business lawyers. A graduate of the UM Faculty of Law himself, Slonosky holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree (1976), and an LLB (1979), as well as an MSc in Telecommunications from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He practiced law for nearly 40 years as an in-house corporate lawyer before joining the business clinical team at the Faculty of Law in 2021.

One of Slonosky’s nominators for the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence for Sessional Instructors noted that his  “contributions to student development extend far beyond the classroom. Through my work, I’ve had the opportunity to develop skills in networking, public speaking, and representing our clinics in media interviews.”

Another letter of support mentioned, “his dedication to public service through the profession is unparalleled, and his work with students will undoubtedly instill these same values in future generations of lawyers.” 

Upon receiving the award, Slonosky thanked the Dean, the Faculty, and law students for the recognition. “It is a unique and  rewarding opportunity to be able to contribute to educating students participating in the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic and the Manitoba Legal Clinic for the Arts. With these clinics, we have created a learning environment that emulates a teaching law firm where students gain opportunities to experience actual legal practice with live-clients. Here, they develop practical skills and knowledge not acquired in other courses that are relevant in practice, so they are prepared, confident and will be superior performers during their articling year and future legal careers.” 

“The real award is being able to help students to become the best lawyers of tomorrow and serve pro bono clients who cannot afford legal assistance remotely across all of Manitoba today!” – Nick Slonosky

According to Slonosky, the clinical experiences he works to provide for students, are “all about personal growth, learning, acquiring knowledge where every student and all our clients are on their own unique journey towards success.”

Slonosky shared that in the past year, the clinics’ 22 externship students had a record-setting number of clients and performed a record number of pro bono hours. “We all learned a great deal together while helping others who cannot afford legal services,” he said.

The Faculty of Law is very proud of these two excellent instructors.

Cooper takes her role as teacher and mentor seriously as she helps train future city planners to be well-rounded, engaged, empathetic and inspired members of their communities and profession. She is committed to community-based practice and her teaching is deeply rooted in a respectful, place-based understanding of Indigenous cultures and methodologies.

Cooper joined the University of Manitoba in 2018 and has since made many contributions to the university and the Faculty of Architecture. She teaches the Indigenous Planning Studio, Planning Theory, and Indigenous Peoples and Community Planning in the Department of City Planning, where she draws on her substantial research and community work to ground her teaching in truth, relationships and Reconciliation.

Students have glowing reviews for Dr. Cooper. Her classes provide eye-opening opportunities to understand structural barriers that are a result of colonial policies and then help move beyond these policies. In the Indigenous Planning Studio, students work directly with Indigenous communities in Manitoba to inform the context within which they will be working in their future careers. They meet Elders and Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, tour the National Indigenous Residential School Museum of Canada and consult with Indigenous-led organizations and professional city planners. Critically, these classes allow students to work on practical projects in partnership with Indigenous communities.

Cooper’s colleagues in the Faculty of Architecture commend her for seizing every opportunity to inspire and be transformative, leading by example with her commitment to embedding social justice and Reconciliation into the culture of the faculty. She illustrates the path to Reconciliation through her innovative teaching approaches, actively contributing to the development of programs aimed at increasing the diversity of perspectives in the Planning program, such as leading efforts to attain funding for an Indigenous Practitioner-in-Residence in the Department of City Planning. Currently, she is also leading a department-wide mapping exercise to assess how Indigenous content is taught throughout the Master of City Planning program, building student capacity to work responsibly with Indigenous communities in Manitoba and beyond.

Cooper is known for her excellence in research supervision for her students, providing compassionate encouragement in major degree projects and graduate level research. Her research funding has supported 18 research assistants over the past six years, providing students with both enriching experiences to enhance their academic journeys at the university and a means to sustain themselves as they learn. She introduces students to her vast network of professionals to help both the community and the students learn together, grow the relationships and strengthen partnerships between the university and the community.

Cooper is a leader in her home faculty, while also helping other units and departments. She has worked with Community Engaged Learning and the Office of Experiential Learning to better integrate hands-on experiences for students. She centres teaching and learning about Indigenous peoples in respectful ways, and students gain valuable experiences outside the classroom in experiential learning environments.

The University of Manitoba is proud to honour Dr. Sarah Cooper with the Olive Beatrice Stanton Award for Excellence in Teaching.

This award recognizes an outstanding UM educator who has demonstrated pedagogical excellence and contributed to advancing teaching and learning at UM as well as nationally and internationally.

With over three decades of service at UM, Dyck is recognized as a leader in teaching—thanks to his published textbooks, peer-reviewed research and innovative course design and delivery—and a passionate advocate for social and ecological sustainability in business.

Dyck has co-authored six groundbreaking textbooks used at UM and universities around the world, praised by students and scholars alike for including multiple approaches to management and equipping students with the breadth of knowledge necessary for confronting the social and ecological challenges facing business and society.

The most recent version of his co-authored textbook Management: Financial, Social, and Ecological Well-Being received Best Book of the Year (Pedagogy/Policy) in 2019 from the International Humanistic Management Association. The same year, Dyck received the 2019 Expanded Reason Award (Teaching), becoming the first business scholar ever to receive this honour.

Dyck has also contributed revolutionary approaches to teaching in leading journals of business ethics and management education. His research shows that students who learn multiple approaches to management become better critical and ethical thinkers.

He expresses his profound gratitude for this recognition:

“It is truly a privilege to teach (and learn from) students, to nurture their growth in knowledge, skills, and a better understanding of who they are and want to become. I am deeply grateful for everyone that makes it possible, including colleagues, administrators, staff, students and citizens of Manitoba,” he says.

Bruno Silvestre, Dean of the Asper School of Business, remarked on the significance of this award and Dyck’s legacy as an educator. “I am thrilled to see Bruno Dyck receiving this award as a way to celebrate his dedication to our students and his contributions to the Asper School of Business and the University of Manitoba, as well as his impact on and reputation in business education in Canada and internationally.”

In the classroom, Dyck is known for creative, engaging methods of instruction. He invites students to co-design courses, collaborating with them to choose assignments, to determine their weight and to agree on which course topics to emphasize, all to optimize their learning.

Asper alum, Jenny Moose [BComm(Hons)/22], Operations Coordinator at the Northern Manitoba Mining Academy, highlights how Dyck’s approach to creating a more accessible classroom encouraged student success. “Everyone learns in different ways, and in Bruno’s classes, you can really focus on your strengths, share your ideas and shine,” says Moose.

Likewise, Savanna Vagianos [BComm(Hons)/19, MSc/22], describes how Dyck encouraged students to bring themselves into the conversation, fully. “Bruno teaches in a disarming way that makes students feel comfortable voicing their thoughts in front of their peers. His course content allows students to reflect on their own personal values and beliefs and to contemplate how these would impact their decisions as future leaders,” she says.

His nomination, led by Asper Associate Dean Suzanne Gagnon, was supported by Asper students and faculty, alongside colleagues from around the world, who express how Dyck has inspired them and changed their perspective—from how they see sustainability in business and how they see their own community of co-learners to how his research has reinvigorated entire curricula (a note that bodes well for Dyck’s role in the development of a new BComm (Hons) curriculum launching in Fall 2023).

To Dyck, his more significant work is as an informal leader.

“I believe I can have a more meaningful impact as an educational leader by investing my energy to strategically focus on the margins rather than through leadership roles in the center,” he says.

Bruno Dyck creates space for the knowledge, experience and individuality that every student brings into his classroom and every colleague brings into consultation, changing perspectives, advancing sustainability and encouraging growth from the margins.

Shawn Bailey an Indigenous Scholar in the Department of Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture and in the Price Faculty of Engineering. Shawn has led a new approach to design for students and the community at the University of Manitoba by creating Five Decolonizing Design Paradigms, which embraces the Ojibway concept of Mino-Bimaadiziwin, meaning “the good life for all nation’s people”. His approach centers on the Land as a form of pedagogy, Indigenous Knowledge, and process-based experiences through exploration, contemplation, and reflection. Shawn closely collaborates with Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and Cultural guides to re-embrace land-based principles and to develop an animate understanding of the Land.

AIAS/ACSA will celebrate Shawn and the other winners at the ACSA 111th Annual Meeting in St. Louis, MO, March 30 – April 1, 2023.

Dr. Hauseman is known among his students as highly engaging, deeply dedicated and caring instructional leader in Educational Administration. His highly engaging, student-centred and activity-based approach to post- secondary instruction allows students to actively participate in their learning by interrogating problems of practice encountered by K-12 educators in a supportive setting.

“A key tenet of my broader teaching philosophy involves providing students with individualized, detailed and information-rich feedback.” Since joining the Faculty of Education in 2018, Hauseman’s innovative teaching approaches and knowledge of effective teaching have been featured in both the Winnipeg Free Press and the Manitoban.

Dr. Hauseman’s graduate and post-baccalaureate students, most of whom are current or prospective school administrators, appreciate his use of present-day events in the education system that help them to see how those events can directly impact the work of school leaders in their administrative decision-making processes.

One former student describes Dr. Hauseman “I’d like to thank you for the way you structured your course this past semester. Your care for students’ wellbeing is both seen and appreciated. I hope that future educators graduating from the program emulate the energy and empathy you provide to them.”

“I am also inspired to continue engaging with the scholarship of teaching and learning to both mobilize my innovative teaching strategies, and gather evidence to determine the extent to which they promote positive student outcomes.” Whether his students are teacher candidates or current school leaders, Dr. Hauseman exposes them to approaches and learning opportunities that force them to question their daily practice.

The Teaching award recipients were nominated by their colleagues and were selected based on their exemplary innovative approaches to engage and inspire students.

The Best Mentor award recipient was nominated by his students and was selected for his outstanding mentorship (in the following areas: encourages career development for his trainees; fosters a fair, collegial and ethical environment; promotes trainees and recognizes accomplishments; goes above and beyond expectations as a mentor).

The Faculty of Science congratulates the 2021 Award recipients for outstanding service and commitment to teaching excellence.

The 2021 Award recipients for Best Mentor and Innovation in Teaching are:

Best Mentor:
Matthew Bakker (Microbiology)
Assistant Professor

Innovation in Teaching:

Christian Kuss (Chemistry)
Assistant Professor

Jenna Tichon (Statistics)
Instructor

Each year the Faculty is able to nominate faculty members and graduate students to be recognized by the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture for their accomplishments as a teacher.

This years winners included:

• Garrett Sawatzky, School of Agriculture – Teaching Award of Merit
• Uduak Edet, Biosystems Engineering – Graduate Student Teaching Award
• Chelsey Walchuk, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences – Graduate Student Teaching Award