Five University of Michigan faculty members have been named Arthur F. Thurnau Professors in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to undergraduate education.
Meghan Duffy, Cynthia Finelli, Sol Hart, Nancy Ambrose King and Thomas Schwarz will hold the Thurnau title for the duration of their careers at U-M and will receive $20,000 to support activities that further enhance their teaching.
The Board of Regents approved the professorships Feb. 19. The Thurnau appointments are effective July 1.
To become a Thurnau professor, faculty members must demonstrate a strong commitment to teaching and learning, excellence and innovation in teaching, and dedication to working effectively with a diverse student body.
They also must have made an impact on students’ intellectual or artistic development and on their lives and contributed to undergraduate education in ways that extend beyond the classroom, studio or lab.
The Arthur F. Thurnau Professorships were established in 1988. They are named after Thurnau, a U-M student from 1902-04. The Thurnau Charitable Trust, which was established through Thurnau’s will, provides support for the award.
Provost Laurie McCauley presented recommendations for the professorships and descriptions of each professor’s work and achievements to the Board of Regents on Feb. 19. These summaries are taken from the provost’s recommendations.
Meghan Duffy
Susan S. Kilham Collegiate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, LSA
Duffy has made multi-faceted contributions to undergraduate education at U-M. She led the overhaul of Biology 171, “Introduction to Ecology and Evolution,” creating an active, student-centered environment that supports deep learning for a highly diverse cohort.
Her department chair calls her a fearless innovator who consults the pedagogical literature to identify the most effective teaching strategies, collaborates with colleagues to implement them, and then gathers and analyzes the data needed to assess their effectiveness.
Enrollment tripled in her upper-division course, EEB 315, “Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease,” where students develop proficiency in both reading scientific primary literature and communicating effectively about it.
Duffy’s commitment to student success includes her mentorship of over 100 undergraduates in research, more than half from underrepresented groups, and her ability to create supportive communities where students feel valued.
As one student reports, “I found myself going from someone who was genuinely struggling in BIO 171, to someone who was excited to take EEB 315, and now feels confident in my abilities as a student and as a future scientist.”
Cynthia Finelli
David C. Munson Jr. Collegiate Professor of Engineering, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, College of Engineering; and professor of education, Marsal Family School of Education
An internationally renowned leader in engineering education research, or EER, Finelli has a reputation for generating pedagogical research, implementing findings into her own courses, and mentoring colleagues across the college.
She has led, collaborated on, or supervised numerous NSF-funded EER projects. She investigated how undergraduate students’ background characteristics influence college knowledge and out-of-class involvement, and how those factors affect academic success.
Her work also ranges from examining the classroom experiences of neurodiverse students to documenting the effects of flexible, active learning classrooms on faculty pedagogy and student behavior. She has also organized teaching circles and communities of practice where instructors can support each other as they revise courses to include evidence-based approaches.
In her own courses, Finelli makes complex technical content accessible and meaningful by connecting theory to real-world, human-centered issues.
Students particularly praise her repurposing of lecture and discussion section time for active problem-solving with instructors, and they appreciate how she articulates that a diversity of student backgrounds adds value to the classroom.
Her institutional leadership as the founding director of Center for Research on Learning and Teaching in Engineering, and of the college’s Engineering Education Research Program in 2015, has empowered thousands of students to succeed as ethical engineers.
Sol Hart
Professor of communication and media, LSA; professor of Program in the Environment, School for Environment and Sustainability and LSA; and faculty associate, Research Center for Group Dynamics, Institute for Social Research
Hart’s creative teaching and departmental leadership transformed both curriculum and culture in the Department of Communication and Media.
As the associate chair for undergraduate studies, Hart restructured the major by streamlining transfer-credit policy and instituting a new peer-advising program and an annual undergraduate survey that gives students a voice in program decisions. These changes have improved time to degree and made the program more navigable, particularly for transfer students and those coming from under-resourced high schools.
He also significantly strengthened undergraduate research pathways and increased the number of strategic communication courses available. His redesign of COMM 102 shifted a large lecture course to a hybrid, active-learning model, improving equity in measurable ways.
In his courses, he integrates real-world issues and provides opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and practical skill-building, and students consistently praise the classes as “energetic, inclusive, and life-changing,” noting Hart’s mentorship has inspired them to pursue careers in environmental justice, law and public engagement.
Hart has also introduced the use of applied improvisation as a tool to scaffold vulnerability, build trust, foster inclusion, and create playful, yet rigorous learning environments. This approach boosts students’ listening skills and improves their ability to understand opposing perspectives, turning disagreement into meaningful dialogue. His methods now inform workshops and peer facilitator training across campus.
Nancy Ambrose King
Professor of music, School of Music, Theatre & Dance
An internationally recognized oboe soloist and pedagogue, King has built U-M into a premier destination for oboe study. Both as a performer and as a commissioner of new works, often from underrepresented composers, King has expanded the realm of possibilities for the oboe.
She also creates new opportunities for students, like the Norma Hooks Young Artist Competition for emerging oboists that she established while serving as the president of the International Double Reed Society.
As a teacher, King encourages students to develop their own voice and transcend technical limitations. Students graduate from her studio as thoughtful, analytical musicians with thorough knowledge of the oboe’s repertoire, pedagogy and historical context.
King has a remarkable ability to turn high artistic standards into concrete, achievable steps for undergraduates, and she creates environments where students feel respected, challenged and supported. Her students routinely succeed at the highest levels, earning prizes, solo and chamber appointments, and faculty positions worldwide.
Over four decades, her rigorous yet compassionate teaching has shaped generations of artists and educators who now shape music programs across the country. Her mentorship is lifelong, and students who pursue careers outside of music performance also speak highly of her guidance.
Thomas Schwarz
Associate chair, Department of Physics, and professor of physics, LSA
Schwarz is both a nationally recognized experimental particle physicist and a driving force for new teaching methodologies, curricular modernization, and access to research and internship opportunities.
He introduced a studio format for Physics 240, “Introductory Electricity and Magnetism” that dramatically increased student engagement, equity and achievement, and then did the same for Physics 140, the introductory mechanics course. His chair credits him with changing students’ attitudes toward their ability to learn the material in these high-enrollment, gateway courses.
In both courses, small groups of students spend time in class working through problems with support from a team of undergraduate learning assistants. Schwarz’s new, hybrid version of Physics 140 combines asynchronous lectures with face-to-face sessions, alleviating waitlist backlogs and improving time to degree by ensuring students can enroll in the course when they need it.
Schwarz has directly mentored more than 30 undergraduates in his research group. As the inaugural undergraduate research coordinator, he significantly expanded access by launching two new programs, one to facilitate paid summer research positions and one to match students to internships in industry.
As the associate chair, he worked with the Society of Physics students as a sounding board to adjust curriculum sequencing to welcome students who discovered a passion for the field later in their undergraduate studies. His efforts have empowered countless students, including transfer students and those from nontraditional backgrounds, to find belonging and success in physics.
kat wiles
Congrats Meg!!!