Prof. Jerry D. Saye receives Outstanding Teaching Award

Prof. Jerry D. Saye receives the SILS Oustanding
Teaching Award from Prof. Deborah Barreau,
last year's recipient.

On May 15, 2005, Professor Jerry D. Saye received the Outstanding Teaching Award from the School of Information and Library Science. The award, presented at the SILS spring commencement ceremony, recognizes excellence in teaching, commitment to students and innovation and effectiveness in teaching. Eight other faculty members were nominated for the award, which also comes with a $2,500 cash prize.

A member of the SILS faculty since 1985, Dr. Saye specializes in organization of information, history of books and libraries, cataloging and classification, abstracting and indexing, technical services and metadata. A respected scholar and teacher, he routinely receives rave reviews from both students and peers.

“Dr. Saye has been one of the most personable, engaging and enthusiastic professors with whom I have ever had the opportunity to interact,” wrote one student recommender. “He consistently shows his dedication to teaching in the field of library science, teaching multiple courses most semesters to ensure that students have ample opportunities to take courses relevant to their fields.”

Dr. Saye’s “commitment, dedication and enthusiasm are unquestionable and unwavering,” said Deborah Barreau, who received the award in 2004. “It is a tribute to his teaching excellence that he has been nominated for this award so often and is, in fact, a past recipient.” Dr. Saye also won the Outstanding Teacher Award in 1998. In 1999 he received the University of North Carolina’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Post-Baccalaureate Instruction, and in 2002 the Association for Library and Information Science Education recognized him with their Award for Excellence in Teaching.

The selection committee reviewed each nomination as well as nominees’ teaching philosophies, syllabi and student evaluations to choose a winner. In addition to his teaching skills, Dr. Saye has been praised for being consistently available to students, making ample time for advising, and for getting to know students on a personal level.

Dr. Saye’s teaching philosophy centers on active student participation in the learning process. “I feel strongly that active involvement by students in the learning process enhances their learning experience and mine,” he said. Students in his classes frequently comment that his approach to teaching – which involves students questioning, challenging and explaining course material to each other – allows course content to be fun and engaging.

“We have, as teachers, the opportunity to change countless lives in a very positive way,” said Dr. Saye. “We often will never know of the positive effect of our work, but those whom we affected know and value it greatly.”

Dr. Saye received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and his master's and doctorate in library science from the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he served as associate dean of SILS from 1994 to 1996. In 2003 he traveled to Slovenia as a Fulbright Scholar, teaching at the University of Ljubljana’s Department of Library and Information Science and Book Studies for six months. Dr. Saye currently is serving as faculty advisor for a SILS summer seminar in Slovenia.