English professor chosen for honor by the students of Dana
College
Dr. John Mark Nielsen, professor of English, has been
chosen by the student body of Dana College as the 2002-03
Professor of the Year.
“
How do you give the appropriate comment to someone who has
been vital to your career?” said 2003 Dana graduate
Owen Day in presenting the award to Nielsen. “Look
at the progress made with any English student at Dana.
Find me in 20 years and
ask me how I’m doing as a teacher, and that will tell
you why he deserves this award.”
Nielsen has taught
for 25 years at Dana College. Earlier this spring, he announced
his decision to scale back his
teaching
duties at Dana to take over as executive director of The
Danish Immigrant Museum in Elk Horn, Iowa.
In accepting the
award, Nielsen thanked all the students he’s
taught at Dana over the years and mentioned his involvement
with the college and education was not coming to an end. “
I see (becoming executive director at the museum) as an opportunity
to teach, as well,” he said.
Dana’s Professor
of the Year is chosen by a vote of the entire student body.
Recipients must have demonstrated excellence
in teaching, positive interpersonal relationships, organization
and classroom management, intellectual stimulation and desirable
behavior outside the classroom. Professors who have received
the award within the past five years are not eligible.
Nielsen
was named Nebraska Professor of the Year in 1999 by The Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
and
was a
Senior Fulbright Lecturer in American Literature in India
in 2000. He has also served as a Fulbright Guest Lecturer
at the
Ribe Statsseminarium and Esbjerg Statsseminarium in Denmark,
and was a George C. Marshall Fellow in Copenhagen, Denmark.
He
is a member of the Lur Publications Board of the Danish Immigrant
Archive at Dana College and served as editor
of “Boarts in the Night,” a
story about the rescue of the Danish Jews in World War II.
Nielsen received
his bachelor of arts degree from Dana in 1973, and his
master of arts degree from Creighton University in 1976. He was awarded
his doctorate
from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1988.
He is currently a member
of the board of directors of The Danish Immigrant Museum
and was a charter member of the board from 1981–1991.
He was a member of the National Advisory Council of the Museum
from 1991–2000. He is a member
of the board of directors of the Danish American Heritage Society and
was the editor of the DAHS newsletter for many years.
Dana
College is a private, liberal arts institution that currently
enrolls approximately 600 students. The campus
is located on 150 acres overlooking
the Missouri River
Valley in Blair, Neb. Dana grants bachelor’s degrees in more
than 35 liberal arts, business, education and pre-professional programs,
with an emphasis on
personalized teaching from experienced and dedicated faculty. Dana
is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and its
athletic teams compete
in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
Dana
College is a private, liberal arts institution in
Blair, Neb. To learn more, visit www.dana.edu.
Dana College:
Develop talents, Take charge, Build a future — We’re
with you all the way.
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END —
For more information contact:
Sarah Cavanah
Communications Coordinator
Dana College
(402) 426-7216
scavanah@dana.edu |
