Three Awarded 15th Annual Levenson Prize

Many professors and teaching fellows at Harvard must learn how to balance families, academic research and teaching, but their accomplishments often go unrecognized.

That all changed last night as both professors and Teaching Fellows were honored in the 15th annual Joseph R. Levenson Memorial Award ceremony.

Cabot Profesor of American literature Alan E. Heimert, Senior Preceptor in Visual and Enivormnental Studies (VES) Robb Moss, and Cabot House resident tutor Matt Lieberman were all honored by their students at the banquet, which was held in the Eliot House dining hall.

"[Lieberman] is honestly the most outstanding teacher I've ever had," said Danielle A. Hootnick '99.

Lieberman is Hootnick's Psychology 15 teaching fellow and tutor.

The Levenson award was started in 1982 to recognize one graduate student, one member of the junior Faculty and one member of the senior Faculty.

The selection process is run by the Undergraduate Council, which distributes an evaluation form for students to nominate their teachers.

"It's nice that there is an award that recognizes teaching and I'm proud to be one of the recipients," Moss said.

Moss was nominated by students who are taking or took his VES 50 class, in which the students work together to create a film for their final project.

"My experience of VES 50 was cooperation unlike any other class or activity I've ever been involved in," said Andrew K. Sachs '97, a Crimson editor and one of Moss's nominators.

Matthew Lieberman was nominated by nine of his students for the Levenson award.

"I am not really big on awards, but I am big on this one which is something that comes from the students," Lieberman said.

Lieberman's students said they nominated him not only for his teaching abilities and dedication, but also because they considered him a real friend.

"I've had a lot of great teachers in the classroom, but Matt's commitments as a friend surpass any realistic expectations I could have had for a TF," said Sally J. Wolf '97.

"I had [Lieberman] for sophomore tutorial, and he remained committed to my studies for the past three years, including thesis drafts," she added.

The UC received more than 175 nominations for the award, the highest number ever.

Students and their nominated teachers began their evening with a reception in the Eliot House Junior Common Room which was followed by dinner and a performance by the Harvard Krokodiloes.

Before giving out the awards, Levenson Award organizers Ali Ahsan '98 and Ben W. Hulse '98 read parts of the nominations students submitted.

David D. Kane, resident tutor of Eliot House, was nominated for his work in sophomore tutorial.

"Why is so much of the teaching at Harvard horrible? Because Harvard does almost nothing outside dinner to reward teaching," Kane said.

"Every hour I spend teaching sections, grading papers, meeting with students, is an hour that I don't spend working on my dissertation," he added.

Kane was nominated by his sophomore tutorial student, Amit Tiwari '97, who praised him for making tutorial a "free, open forum for ideas" by eliminating participation as part of the grade.

"What separates Dave from all the other TFs I know is that he puts his heart into the class," said Tiwari. "Dave really cares about students."

Last night was also an opportunity for the Council, which runs, decides and gives out the Levenson awards, to announce their new award for "service to the student body."

The award honors supervisory employees of the Harvard community for their willingness to help and respond to students.

Among the nominees for the Coucil award for Excellence in Service to the Student Body were library, dining hall and transportation services staff. The 1997 recipient was Harvard shuttle driver Richie Aufiero.

All nominees for the new service award will have a letter sent to their supervisor from the Council informing them of the nomination