2024 Distinguished Teaching Award

We are delighted to share that UCSB has recognized our very own Ellen O'Connell Whittet with the university’s Distinguished Teaching Award! The award letter recognizes her outstanding teaching: "Described by her students as passionate and engaging, O’Connell Whittet strives to support a democratic classroom where students’ experiences, cultures and backgrounds are prioritized. She incorporates students’ own input, voices, identities, and experiences as fundamental components of her courses. Over the past years Ellen O’Connell Whittet demonstrated her innovation in teaching through her implementation of a creative Nonfiction Initiative “Telling Pandemic Stories”. This initiative was truly impactful for her students. What was remarkable about her was the way her student described her teaching, “she positions herself not as an academic gatekeeper, but as a teammate to her students, working with them towards shared academic goals.” For these reasons and more the selection committee found Ellen O’Connell Whittet an exceptional candidate for the 2024 Distinguished Teaching Award."

Everyone in the Writing Program heartily agrees with this much deserved praise. Join us in congratulating Ellen O'Connell Whittet!