Penn State Undergraduate Teaching Awards
Penn State recognizes extraordinary teachers of undergraduate students through three awards for undergraduate teaching, the Milton S. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching, George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching, and Teaching Fellow: Penn State Alumni Association Award for Excellence in Teaching. The faculty honored are a highly select group, with less than one-percent of full-time faculty considered for these awards each year.
Information about the Eisenhower, Atherton, and the Alumni Teaching Fellow awards is available on Penn State's Awards Recognition page.
Nominations
To nominate a faculty member for a teaching award, please complete the Teaching Awards Nomination Form. Nominations are accepted year-round; however, those received after June 30 will be considered for the following year.
2026 Award Recipients
George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching
The George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching, named for the seventh president of the University (1882-1907), is presented each year to six faculty members who have devoted substantial effort to undergraduate teaching.
Brianna Blackburn
Assisstant Lecturer/Instructor
Nursing
University Park
Teaching Philosophy
Joseph Houck
Teaching Professor
Chemistry
University Park
Teaching Philosophy
Lisa Goguen
Associate Professor
Psychology
Hazleton
Teaching Philosophy
Lisa Mangel
Assistant Teaching Professor
Biology & Education
Behrend
Teaching Philosophy
Michael Mashtare
Assistant Professor
Agricultural and Biological Engineering
University Park
Teaching Philosophy
Elizabeth Womack
Associate Professor
English
Brandywine
Teaching Philosophy
Milton S. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching
The Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching, established in 1992, is generally awarded to two faculty who, in addition to being outstanding teachers themselves, have also provided some kind of support or mentoring to others. Milton S. Eisenhower was president of Penn State from 1950 to 1956.
Richard Harnish
Professor
Psychology
New Kensington
Teaching Philosophy
Benjamin Lear
Professor
Chemistry
University Park
Teaching Philosophy
Teaching Fellow: Penn State Alumni Association Award for Excellence in Teaching
This award, made possible by the Penn State Alumni Association, the Undergraduate Student Government, and the Graduate Student Association, recognizes distinguished teaching and provides a forum for encouraging effective teaching. Recipients are asked to share their talents and expertise with others throughout the University system. Year-long responsibilities may include such activities as participating in workshops and symposia, giving lectures or presentations on teaching techniques for new faculty and graduate assistants, taking part in discussions or seminars with students in the Schreyer Honors College, or teaching honors courses.
Grant Risha
Professor
Mechanical Engineering
University Park
Teaching Philosophy
Maria Truglio
Professor
Italian / Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies
University Park
Teaching Philosophy
Boni Wozolek
Boni Wozolek
Elementary and Early Childhood Education
Abington
Teaching Philosophy
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