Brandeis Magazine

Steve Volk, professor of Latin American studies and museum studies at Oberlin College, was selected as the 2011 Outstanding Baccalaureate Colleges U.S. Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This program honors the most outstanding undergraduate instructors in the country, recognizing those who excel in teaching and positively influence the lives and careers of students. Steve founded and directs Oberlin’s Center for Teaching Innovation and Excellence, which provides resources to help faculty members continually revitalize their teaching to enhance student learning. Award-winning author Richard Burgin (“Shadow Traffic,” “Rivers Last Longer”) was recently profiled by the Huffington Post. He spoke fondly of his experiences at Brandeis and mentioned late professors Ruth Stone and Philip Rahv. “Ruth was the only teacher I had who took a genuine interest in my writing, who encouraged me and gave me the feeling that she believed in my ability,” he told the reporter. “I took each class I could with Rahv, though he was certainly not the school’s most popular professor, and I learned a lot about American and Russian literature from him.”