Eleven in the university community were honored with the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, including Cynthia Ryan, associate professor of English. Ryan “stands out among her colleagues for her devotion to students, to the department and to the community,” says her department chair.

Students describe her as “inspiring” for her energy, her professionalism and the breadth and depth of her knowledge. Colleagues praise her for “getting engaged” and keeping students engaged as well, bridging the gap between the academic world and the “real world,” says one fellow professor, with activities that bring her students together with issues in the community and around the world. The Study Abroad trips she’s led to Nepal, Zambia, and India are “clear testament to her eagerness to show students peoples and cultures that are new to them,” says the professor, calling Ryan both “an incredibly innovative teacher” and “a powerful model of commitment and integrity.”