Seven people were recognized at the 2017 Celebration of Distinguished Teaching dinner Friday. The event acknowledged the excellence and achievements of six faculty members and one graduate student.
The awards honored winners from IU-Bloomington, IU-Northwest, IU-South Bend, IU-Southeast and IU-Purdue University Indianapolis. President Michael McRobbie presented the awards on behalf of the University.
“Whether advancing a lifelong love of learning, preparing students for careers of the future or reaching out into their communities across the state, these individuals truly are an inspiration to their students and to their colleagues,” McRobbie said in an IU press release about the event. “Their extraordinary accomplishments in teaching and service, and the passion and dedication they bring to their work, make us all proud to be part of this great university.”
Israel Fernando Herrera received the President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching this year. This award honors the most dedicated, exceptional staff members who go above and beyond for their students and for the University’s efforts to further education, research and service, according to the release.
Herrera said his accomplishments in teaching specifically made him a strong candidate for the award.
“The main component is the impact or the change that the teacher can have on the student,” Herrera said.
Anyone can submit letters of support for a candidate. Herrera had letters from his own students and the Indiana Department of Education in addition to his nomination from the chair of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.
After coming to IU in 2006 as an assistant instructor, Herrera joined the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Spanish and Portuguese as a visiting lecturer in 2008. Since then, he has become a senior lecturer and has helped to strengthen the language program on campus and throughout the community.
Herrera teaches a variety of classes every semester within the department of Spanish and Portuguese studies. This semester, he said he is teaching a range of basic, intermediate and advanced classes.
Outside of the classroom, Herrera helped create the IU Spanish club, Grupo Ñ, with some of his students, which has been operating on campus for three years.
Herrera is also the faculty adviser for the campus Spanish theater group, VIDA. Before becoming adviser, Herrera said he was a cast member for 10 years while participating and taking roles in the plays and productions of the theater group.
Junior Hayley Bunch said she worked with Herrera when she participated in one of VIDA’s productions during her sophomore year. Although she has never had Herrera as an instructor, she said she could gauge how dedicated he is to his students through his demeanor and work in the theater group.
“He’s just a really passionate individual I feel like,” Bunch said.
Herrera uses this passion and dedication for language for more than just work on campus. Herrera started the Spanish and Portuguese Song Festival, which will take place for the seventh year later this week. The lecturer’s involvement in several state, regional and national organizations has allowed him to work in extending language advocacy in the state and the nation, he said.
“I do things to include languages in all aspects, in all stages of learning, in elementary, middle and high schools, in colleges,” Herrera said. “I’ve been working with some other colleagues in Indianapolis in order to pass bills related to languages.”
Herrera said knowledge of language can be valuable beyond the classroom and can extend into the workplace as well.
While working to make more legal impacts, Herrera said he also tries to encourage and motivate his students to see their full potential and how languages can affect them beyond their time at IU.
“I try to encourage them to look for new opportunities that they can reach with the languages, so I mention a lot of opportunities with traveling overseas, opportunities to find internships, jobs for example,” Herrera said. “I encourage them, for example, to work in Spain or in Chile.”
Herrera said he tries to encourage students to use his office hours as well, not just for advice on assignments but for future planning.
“I always tell them to talk to me, come to my office hours, not just to talk about the composition or the homework,” Herrera said. “Let’s talk about life, let’s talk about your future, there is something else after graduation. I tell them to come to talk about opportunities, not to talk about how you can improve your grammar. Let’s see what you have and let’s look ahead.”
Tweet: Seven people were recognized at IU’s 2017 Celebration of Distinguished Teaching dinner last week.
