Martin Christiansen Recognized with SUNY Delhi Part-Time Teaching Award

DELHI, NY (05/23/2012)(readMedia)-- SUNY Delhi recognized Martin Christiansen with the third annual Dennis Callas Part-Time Teaching Award which honors outstanding adjunct faculty. Christiansen was formally presented with the award by President Candace S. Vancko at the college's Employee Appreciation Day ceremony on May 21.

Christiansen began teaching at SUNY Delhi in 1993, and in his time at SUNY Delhi, he has shown versatility teaching an array of courses, including freshman composition, advanced composition, technical writing, business communication, public speaking, desktop publishing, ethics, introduction to film, world religions, introduction to the Bible, public speaking, and introduction to literature.

Christiansen has also been extremely valuable to the college because of his flexibility and his willingness to help out in difficult situations. According to Provost John Nader, "Martin has been willing to step in and teach a course on short notice and, when he has stepped in, he has always been well-prepared and has gone above and beyond for his students. His students appreciate the fact that he makes complex concepts both accessible and engaging," Provost Nader said.

Christiansen stresses both discussion and writing in his classes. He is able to get students excited about philosophical and ethical issues, so much so that students pressed Christiansen to start a philosophy club in fall 2011.

Students not only like Christiansen, they also respect him. A student in his philosophy class said, "Mr. Christiansen's classes have forced me to re-evaluate my own morals, values and goals and to abide by them. I find it easy to say that my experience in his class has been the most significant of my college experiences thus far."