March 26–Chris Whytock, a professor of law at the S.J. Quinney College of Law, was among six University of Utah professors chosen to receive the ASUU Student Choice Teaching Award.
Whytock, who joined the Quinney College faculty in 2007, teaches foreign relations law, a seminar on the judiciary and world politics, civil procedure, and business organizations. He received his law degree from Georgetown University, where he was a Ford Foundation Fellow in Public International Law, and a Ph.D. in political science from Duke University.
“I’m honored and absolutely delighted. I want to thank my students for this recognition, and for their role in making my first year teaching at the law school so rich and rewarding,” Whytock said. “One of the great privileges of teaching here is being able to work with students of such outstanding talent and character. They ultimately are the ones who deserve recognition, and I hope I have been serving them well.”
Hiram Chodosh, dean of the S.J. Quinney College of Law, added, “Chris Whytock is an exceptional young scholar and exciting teacher. We are thrilled that students have recognized his extraordinary commitment to providing a challenging and rewarding classroom experience. That he is being recognized with a Student Choice Teaching Award after only one semester at the Quinney College speaks to his dedication and innovative methodology in the classroom.”
The Student Choice Teaching Awards allow students to honor outstanding U of U professors. Students nominate their professors with a short essay, and a committee of students reviews the nominations and chooses winners. The criteria used to assess the essays were dependability, access to students, class performance, personal experience, teaching style, and motivation. In addition to Whytock, this year’s winners are Tim Edgar, Geography; Richard Sesek, Mechanical Engineering; Mark Matheson, English and Honors; Scott Black, English; and Yoko Azuma, Languages and Literature.
The six winners will be honored at a banquet on April 16 at 3:00 pm at the Alumni House. U of U President Michael Young will give an address, and the professors will be recognized by the student who nominated them. Students who have taken classes from these professors are invited to attend.