UA CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR RECEIVES AWARD FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Since 1959, Dr. Wally Cordes has excelled as a teacher, improving student learning by introducing innovative techniques in the classroom. Cordes, a University Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, received an Award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Technology, at the Thirteenth International Conference on Teaching and Learning, April 12, 2002, in Jacksonville, Fla. While attending the conference, Cordes presentd a paper titled "Student Motivation in the Large Lecture Class: Six Six-Minute Strategies."

Provost Bob Smith, who nominated Cordes for the award, said, "Dr. Wally Cordes is a shining example of what we expect from a faculty member by contributing strongly and consistently year after year, in and out of the classroom. He has amazed, interested and excited literally thousands of students and has influenced colleagues in every college and school. Simply put, the U of A is a better institution because of Dr. Wally Cordes."

Cordes received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1960. During his 42 years at the U of A, he has developed teaching innovations for classes ranging from freshman chemistry for non-majors through doctoral level courses.

"Each semester I try several new ideas in order to show my students the excitement, the beauty, and the logic of chemistry," Cordes said.

In his large freshman chemistry class, he includes a "six-minute chat" in which each student stops by his office early in the semester. By taking pictures of all of his students, he is able to learn their names.

Cordes, a noted X-ray crystallographer in inorganic chemistry, has published 228 papers. He has received numerous awards, including the Alumni Association Faculty Award for Teaching and Research in 1978, the Fulbright College Master Teacher Award in 1983, and the Carnegie Foundation’s Arkansas Professor of the Year award in 1990.

He is a charter member and past-president of the UA Teaching Academy. He is a founding co-director of the UA Teaching and Faculty Support Center founded in 1990 to improve teaching effectiveness. Cordes is the only faculty member to serve two different terms as co-director of the Center. In the early 90’s, he and other co-directors started the popular Summer Teaching Retreat, during which UA faculty travel to an off-campus site to work on innovative teaching techniques. In addition to his academic leadership and research, Cordes also conducts many annual X-ray workshops at colleges and universities in Arkansas and surrounding states.

Thirteen years ago, the Center for Advancement of Teaching and Learning in Jacksonville, Fla., started the annual conference on teaching and learning to share techniques for improving student learning. The conference attracts thousands of faculty from around the globe.