Ten UMass Boston Faculty Honored for Their Commitment in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers 2002

By Leigh DuPuy

While walking through the Healey Library recently, a student stopped to ask Alan Vogel of the Accounting and Finance Department whether he would be teaching accounting for the spring semester. As he was telling Professor Vogel that he wanted to take his class, the student spied Gunther Boroschek coming into the library. Springing forward, the student hugged the retired professor of management and marketing, delighted to see him. Fittingly, both faculty members were reporting to the library for a photograph of the recent honorees included in the Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers 2002, a student-nominated award of excellence in teaching.

“If you enjoy what you do,” Vogel said, “they can see it.” A first-time nominee, Vogel is one of ten current and former UMass Boston faculty members recognized for their commitment in the classroom, including Paul Atwood, Roger Blake, Gunther Boroschek, Jonathan Chu, Eric Hayden, Susan Machuga, Castellano Turner, and Cheryl Williams. A group diverse in discipline, department, and years teaching, they gave unvarying praise for their students and what it means to teach at UMass Boston.

“It’s a pure delight to be nominated, because it means at least one of my students felt my efforts were worthwhile! What greater satisfaction can there be?” says Hayden, professor of accounting and finance, who has been nominated for five years. Blake, a first-time nominee and lecturer in the Management and Science and Information Science Department, reports a similar sentiment, feeling pleased he has been able to make a difference for his students.

Williams, a lecturer and clinical nursing faculty, finds her motivation in the diversity of the student body. She comments, “They are hard-working, extremely motivated, and often have other responsibilities to juggle, such as work and family.”

Chu, associate professor of history and interim dean of the Graduate College of Education, who has been teaching at UMass Boston since 1978, is especially gratified for having been nominated by a student who is a first-generation immigrant. Guimond, professor of biology, expresses a similar enthusiasm and wonder towards the accomplishments of his students. “I am most appreciative for the honor – we have an exceptional student body here and they are inspiring to me,” raves Guimond, who has taught for 31 years at UMass Boston.

Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, first published in 1990, was created in an effort to pay tribute to America’s most respected teachers. Updated every two years, the guide lists approximately 114,000 teachers nationwide.

From right to left: Jonathan Chu, associate professor of history and interim dean of the Graduate College of Education; Robert Guimond, professor of biology; Eric Hayden, professor of accounting and finance; Paul Atwood, lecturer for the American Studies Program; Cheryl Williams, professor of adult gerontological nursing; and Castellano Turner, professor of psychology. (Photo by Harry Brett)

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