Martin School of Public Policy and Administration
Dwight Denison isn’t an ivory-tower academic. In the midst of his research, the Great Teacher award-winner says, “I often find myself asking, what would students find beneficial in this?”
Denison is one of six Great Teacher Award winners for 2010. Started in 1961, the Great Teacher Award is the oldest continuous award that recognizes teaching at UK. The nominations are made by students, and selection of the award recipients is made by the UK Alumni Association Great Teacher Award Committee in cooperation with the student organization Omicron Delta Kappa. Award recipients each receive a citation, an engraved award and a cash stipend.
Denison’s childhood career goals ranged from engineer to lawyer to city manager, but he ultimately chose to pursue a Ph.D. in public policy & administration primarily because he wanted to work with students. When asked why, he replies, “The rewards from teaching – empowering people to meet their aspirations.” That isn’t to imply that he doesn’t enjoy the research side of his job; Denison sees research as the yin to teaching’s yang. “I do think there is an important connection between teaching & research. Without research the classroom could get mundane and without teaching to get feedback, the research could grow stale.”