Professor of History William Kerrigan honored with teaching award

  During this year's opening convocation on Aug. 30, three Muskingum University professors were awarded special faculty awards based on teaching, research, and service.  This year's recipient of the teaching award, the William Oxley Thompson Award for Excellence in Teaching, went to Professor of History William Kerrigan. 

  A member of the Muskingum University faculty since 1997, Kerrigan earned his bachelor's degree from Austin College, his master's degree from Texas Christian University and his doctorate from the University of Michigan.    Kerrigan teaches history classes in American history, Ohio history, and environmental history.

  Kerrigan provided some background on the award. 

  "William Oxley Thompson was a graduate of Muskingum who went on to become the president of the Ohio State University and Miami University, said Kerrigan. "They named the award in his honor."

  Kerrigan further explained how the award recipient is decided.

  "It's given every year," said Kerrigan. "The faculty nominates candidates who are decided by the previous recipients and the Vice President of Academic Affairs."

  Kerrigan, a first time winner of this award, commented on the experience.

  "It's a great honor," said Kerrigan. "It's nice to be recognized by your peers and it's nice to receive an award created in honor of a Muskingum [alumnus] who was so important in the world of higher education."

  Kerrigan anticipates seeing which fellow educators will succeed him in winning the award.

  "Muskingum has so many outstanding teachers and takes teaching so seriously that I look forward to seeing many of my deserving colleagues getting recognized," Kerrigan remarked. 

  As one of these teachers, Kerrigan described briefly his views on teaching.

  "I like to share my excitement about history with students," explained Kerrigan. "I like to get students to think about the history of [America] in a more complex way than just a patriotic origin story."

  This devotion Kerrigan infuses with his teaching does not go unnoticed.

  "When taking one of Kerrigan's classes, he really makes you not just read history, but … understand it," said junior Vincent Migyanko.

Dr. Laura Hilton, History Department Chair, offered her opinion about Dr. Kerrigan's teaching style. 

  "The key to Dr. Kerrigan's teaching success is his ability to effectively engage students in both survey-level courses as well as upper-levels," Hilton noted.  "He uses primary sources to draw students into the material.  These can take a variety of formats, from images and maps to written texts and songs.  I believe that his willingness to rethink and incorporate new material into his classes to reach more students is another key to his success."

  "As chair of a department who prides itself on excellent teaching across all its faculty members, I am very pleased to see Dr. Kerrigan honored in this way," she added. 

Biographical information from:  http://www.muskingum.edu/news/index.html