Burton M. Wheeler, Ph.D., professor emeritus of English and of religious studies in Arts and Sciences, will leave his mark on the Washington University community in many ways -- including two awards named in his honor.
Both a new teaching fund -- from which grants will be given by the College of Arts and Sciences -- and a Phi Beta Kappa freshman award now bear Wheeler's name. Both are designed to recognize Wheeler's outstanding 40-year contribution to the University.
The Burton M. Wheeler Fund For Improvement of Teaching will provide $20,000 annually to assist in the improvement of introductory courses. The fund reflects Wheeler's dedication to improving the quality of undergraduate teaching during his tenure here, said James E. McLeod, vice chancellor for students and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
"Burt has had a very strong influence on the institution's support of the undergraduate experience," McLeod said. "This is one way of acknowledging that contribution and continuing that influence and spirit into the future."
The fund will be administrated jointly by the Teaching Center and the College of Arts and Sciences. Faculty who are teaching the University's traditional curriculum in Arts and Sciences may submit proposals to fund innovative activities and projects designed to improve their courses, McLeod said.
The grants will be presented by the director of the Teaching Center and the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, acting with the advice of a small committee. Faculty members interested in applying for the grants must be supported by department chairs.
The second recognition comes in the renaming of Phi Beta Kappa's (PBK) Freshman Book Award -- an award Wheeler established nearly 20 years ago. The University's PBK chapter has renamed the award the Burton M. Wheeler Freshman Book Award of Phi Beta Kappa.
"We are doing this in honor of his long and distinguished service to Phi Beta Kappa, both on the local and national levels," said Ronald Freiwald, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematics in Arts and Sciences and the organization's secretary. "He was thoughtful, innovative and made a remarkable contribution to the University."
As before, the renamed award will be presented each year to one or two freshmen in Arts and Sciences who have distinguished themselves through scholarship and who have demonstrated a wide breadth of interests in the liberal arts, Freiwald said.
Recipients of the award select a volume from among recent winners of the national Phi Beta Kappa Book Awards. The books, which cover a wide range of the arts and sciences, are then presented to the students at a reception attended by honorees and chapter officers.
Election to Phi Beta Kappa is reserved primarily for seniors, with a few juniors elected each spring, Freiwald noted. The University's PBK chapter presents the book award, however, to both honor freshmen and introduce them to the society, he said.
Wheeler said he was honored and pleased at the recognition in both the new teaching fund and the renaming of the PBK award.
Wheeler began his career at the University in 1956 as an instructor of English and of religious studies. He chaired the Task Force on Undergraduate Education and was the chair of the national Phi Beta Kappa Committee on Qualifications, among other activities. He has held a variety of administrative positions since his first major administrative role as faculty master of the residence halls in the mid-1960s. Wheeler has served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. From 1990 until his retirement this year, he was the grand marshal of Commencement.
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