Lauren Obermark, who graduated with an MA from UMKC in 2008, recently earned the 2015 Gerald and Deanne Gitner Excellence in Teaching Award, which was presented with a plaque and a $500 honorarium on Sept. 16. Obermark is an assistant professor of English at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
“Sometimes teaching feels like this invisible part of our job, even though it’s what I spend so much of my time designing and doing,” Obermark told UMSL Daily. “So having it recognized in a formal way feels really good.”
“She has shown [her students] that writing is not an exotic, difficult art practiced by a select few,” wrote UMSL Founders Professor of English Richard Cook in a nomination letter, “but an attainable (and necessary) skill that they can master and take with them into all areas of their studies as well as into future employment.”
Read more about Obermark’s award and pedagogy — including why she loves teaching required writing courses — at UMSL Daily.