Math Professor Yousuf George Receives Extraordinary Teaching Award
Nazareth Associate Professor Yousuf George, Ph.D., received the Distinguished College Teaching of Mathematics in Recognition of Extraordinary Teaching award from the Mathematical Association of America’s Seaway section (MAA). George is associate professor in the Mathematics Department and the associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences.
This award is given to recognize teachers at the post-secondary level who have been widely recognized as extraordinarily successful. George has taught at Nazareth for 11 years, and has led the Math Department in moving to Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL). He recently received a grant to bring IBL to Western New York through presentations and workshops.
When teaching both majors and non-majors, George quickly establishes a guiding relationship with students. “Students learn very early in their courses with Yousuf that they are responsible for their own learning, a primary component of any IBL class,” said Matt Koetz, professor and department chair in Mathematics who nominated George for the award. “With Yousuf’s support, they take the responsibility seriously and develop ownership of their knowledge. Whether with freshmen non-majors in a “first-year seminar” course, or senior math majors in a capstone course, Yousuf brings out the best in his students.”
George organizes the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Lunch, participates in Career Night, the New Student Lunch, Junior Happy Hour, and hosts the Mathematics Department Senior Brunch at his home. With his office inside the Math Center, he is readily available to students, and is always willing to help, with academic, advising, and other non-academic issues. He’s led the department’s undergraduate research course several times, and supervised summer student research in the past. In 2012, George brought 10 students to present at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in San Diego.
The membership of the Seaway Section consists of members from parts of New York State along with Ontario and Quebec, Canada.
Read Yousuf George's essay on teaching math in an engaging way »
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Julie Long | Chief PR Officer | 585-389-2456 or jlong2@naz.edu
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L-R Student Tracy Lause, Dr. George, Dr. Koetz, student Bailey Carter, and student Chris Goodman