Management Professor Wins Excellence in Teaching Award

Lebanon, Ill. – Dr. Peter Will of McKendree University is one of 93 St. Louis area educators who will receive the prestigious Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award for 2012. The awards pay tribute to educators for their achievements and dedication to the teaching profession. Recipients are selected by their schools’ administration.

“Although Dr. Will has been teaching at McKendree University for over ten years, he still makes time to attend our Teaching for Excellence workshops several times a year, in an effort to improve his pedagogical skills,” said Dr. Christine Bahr, provost. “Faculty colleagues note that he is an excellent teacher who is widely respected among both undergraduate and graduate students. He has provided leadership in curriculum development to meet students’ needs, most recently the creation of a new major in sport management.”

Will, a Lebanon resident, teaches undergraduate and graduate level business management courses full-time. He is a former pharmaceutical research and industrial scientist who uses examples from the corporate world in his classes. He holds bachelor’s degrees, in chemistry and industrial technology and in business administration; an MBA in general management, a master’s in financial economics, and a doctorate in biochemistry.

His commitment to students extends beyond the classroom. As the faculty athletic representative, he has provided important leadership as McKendree transitions to Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He attends numerous student athletic competitions, concerts, plays and presentations, advises the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity and assists with Sigma Beta Delta business honor society activities.

Three McKendree alumni are also 2012 Excellence in Teaching Awardees:

•   Lori Crunk, of Belleville, a physical education, weight lifting and health teacher at Freeburg Community High School

•   Debbie Witsken, of Bethalto, occupational therapy instructor at Lewis and Clark Community College

•   Natalie (Sneed) Bouillon, of Wood River, a second grade teacher at Hartford Elementary School in Wood River-Hartford School District 15.

The annual awards, to be presented on Nov. 11 at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis, are sponsored by Emerson, a global manufacturing and technology company.

 

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