WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Connie Bauman, Associate Professor of the Practice of Sports Medicine, was named one of this year's Pinanski Prize winners for excellence in teaching at Wellesley College. The prize, named for Anna and Samuel Pinanski, is awarded annually to as many as three faculty members each year. Nominations are submitted by the College community, with the final selection made by the President in consultation with the Pinanski Prize Committee. Winners are announced at commencement. In addition to Bauman, this year's recipients included Daniel Brabander, Geosciences, and Paul Fisher, American Studies.
Bauman is commended by her students and colleagues alike for her enthusiasm, knowledge and ability to engage students. In the words of one nominator, “Connie Bauman embodies the very essence of what a professor should be: inspiring, encouraging, passionate and a lover and sharer of knowledge.”
Describing Professor Bauman, another nominator wrote that her “dedication to her students is unparalleled. Her quest for new information, technology and teaching methods is never sated. Her preparation is impeccable. Her labs are practical. Her love of the subject matter is evident to all.”
The letters praise her “gem of a class,” not just for the invaluable knowledge she imparts to students, but also for the technology and interactive tools she uses to provide her students with the most exciting class possible. Students note that the outside enrichment activities she plans make her course a “must take” and that her commitment to engagement in learning through physical activity sets her apart.
Professor Bauman’s commitment does not end in the classroom. One student writes that she “truly inspires and
encourages her students to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it in the real world,” as they do in a program she founded that enables Wellesley students to mentor local middle school girls about sports medicine.
Bauman gives her time freely to advise students and help them “find their passions.” She is praised for “[h]er ability to build up a student’s confidence.” Her “unyielding commitment” to students is a theme throughout her nominations, and as one student concludes, “Her impact on students is life-long.”
