Dr. Lorrie N. Smith, Saint Michael's College professor of English literature, earned the top Saint Michael's teaching award, the Joanne Rathgeb Teaching Award, for 2009, as selected by her faculty colleagues and presented at the Academic Convocation September 25 in the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel on the college campus. Dr. Louis Irwin, widely published neuroscientist, was the principal convocation speaker, talking on "Galileo and His Telescope: Four Centuries of Revelation."
Dr. Will Marquess, a previous teaching award winner, read the citation recognizing Dr. Smith at the convocation. Her deep commitment to literature and to teaching were made clear in the citation which stated: "Like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Lorrie believes poets are 'liberating gods,' and that the beauty of their language can uncover our shared humanity, helping us not only to understand one another but to act on one another's behalf."
Dr. Smith was cited for teaching difficult subjects in her "Literature and the Blues" and "The Middle Passage" courses, but for always leading students to see the beauty and transcendence in "tragic lyricism." The citation stated, "Though her courses often focus on hard truths, they are filled with music, poetry, camaraderie, and the joys of discovery."
Known amongst her colleagues as one of the college's best stylists, Professor Smith was cited for her devotion to helping students develop their own writing skills. Her patient guidance, the citation said, consistently brings out the best in student writing, in all her courses from Introduction to Literary Studies through Senior Seminar.
Professor Smith was also cited for the service-learning elements in her teaching, which include taking students to visit Charlestown High School in Boston, and on trips to the African country of Ghana, for her "Middle Passage" course. The professor was cited also for her belief that an understanding of African-American literature and history are central to being a responsible American citizen. She was lauded for her commitment to helping her students make a commitment to service. One student wrote: "I couldn't have asked for a better mentor during these important four years of my life. It has been an honor to know and study with Lorrie."
Professor Lorrie Smith earned her doctorate from Brown University. She has published widely on literature of the Vietnam War and on poetry by African-American writers. She resides in Burlington, and is the mother of three grown children.
At Saint Michael's College, Learn What Matters. Saint Michael's is a distinctive Catholic liberal arts college that provides education with a social conscience, producing graduates with the intellectual tools to lead a successful, purposeful life that will contribute to peace and justice in our world. Founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, Saint Michael's is identified by the Princeton Review as one of the nation's
Best 371 Colleges. It is one of 270 colleges and universities nationwide, and one of only 20 Catholic colleges, with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Saint Michael's has 1,900 undergraduate students, some 500 graduate students and 100 international students. Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Pickering, Guggenheim, Fulbright, and other grants. The college is one of the nation's Best Liberal Arts Colleges as listed in the 2009
U.S. News & World Report rankings. Saint Michael's is located just outside Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top college towns.