LANCASTER, Pa. - Franklin & Marshall College Associate Professor of History/Judaic Studies Maria Mitchell became the 71st recipient of the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching at Saturday's (5/12) commencement exercises. Mitchell was honored before an audience of about 5,000 people at the private, coeducational, liberal arts college. The award is funded by grants from the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation of Philadelphia. Mitchell, who joined the Franklin & Marshall faculty in 1994, completed her undergraduate work in political science at Johns Hopkins University, including study in Advanced International Studies at The Bologna Center in Italy, and doctoral work at Boston University in Modern European History and European Colonialism. In her professional career, Mitchell has received an unusually large number of prestigious fellowships. These include study at the Institute for European History in Mainz, Germany, and the Gerda Henkel Foundation in Dusseldorf, Germany. She has authored a number of journal articles and contributed to edited volumes, reviews, and translations. Fluent in German, she has served on the editorial boards of Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte and German Studies Review since 2001. His citation reads, "Professor Mitchell is a model citizen in a liberal arts setting. She is currently the chair of the Judaic Studies program and serves on the Fair Practices Committee. From 2004-2006 she served as co-chair of 'F&M Votes,' a successful, campus-wide voter registration project. In 2005 she received the Dean of the College Award for Outstanding Service to Students, and in 1998 the College's Voices for Women Award for having 'reached the highest standing in leadership, character, and service as they relate to women's issues.'" Mitchell's classes are precisely planned and organized. She is an engaged and engaging lecturer, and orchestrates debates that challenge students to deliberate upon and articulate the positions they espouse. Her warm, enthusiastic manner is infectious. According to one of her students, "I always thought that European history was boring. I hated the idea of studying painful times like wars. But I ate up everything in this class and I am hungry for more." Her citation reads, "It is because of Professor Mitchell's dedication to teaching and to promoting the ethos of the liberal arts pedagogue that we extend to her the College’s highest teaching award, the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching."
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