Lindblom named 2008 Arkansas Professor of the Year; 14th for Lyon College
Dr. Tim Lindblom, associate professor of biology at Lyon College, has been named the 2008 Arkansas Professor of the Year. This is the 14th time in the past 20 years that a member of the Lyon College faculty has received this award.
The award is presented annually by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) to only one faculty member in each state.
The announcement was made today (Thursday, Nov. 20) at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., attended by all of this year’s Professor of the Year honorees. Dr. Lindblom and his wife, Susan, along with Lyon President and Mrs. Walter Roettger, attended the ceremony.
Lyon College’s record of 14 Professor of the Year Awards is unmatched by any other college in the country. Lyon has won the national honor 10 out of the last 12 years. No other institution of higher learning in Arkansas has won more than four.
“It has been my good fortune to have worked with some exceptional faculty members during my quarter-century as a college executive,” said Lyon President Walter Roettger. “Tim Lindblom is surely one of the best. He’s a star in the classroom and in his research laboratory; he’s a leader on campus and in his community. Most of all, though, he’s a wonderfully engaging and thoroughly decent human being who cares passionately about the success of his students. We all understand that he represents what is best in Lyon’s teaching and learning community and in American higher education.”
The U.S. Professors of the Year program salutes the most outstanding undergraduate instructors in the country – those who excel as teachers and influence the lives and careers of their students. It is recognized as one of the most prestigious awards honoring professors.
“It’s a special honor when you get recognized for doing something you love and it’s easy to love teaching at Lyon College,” Lindblom said. “In fact, this award is really about the quality of Lyon students. I draw my motivation and inspiration for teaching and research from their curiosity and commitment to learning. In Lyon’s classrooms, learning is a two-way street and this cooperative learning makes teaching a whole lot of fun. I am also surrounded by a very engaged and supportive group of staff and faculty colleagues that make my job all the more pleasurable.”
Dr. Lindblom joined the Lyon faculty in 2002. His current research explores how animal cells cope with the constant barrage of toxic chemical compounds ingested or produced by the body’s normal cellular metabolism. His research at Lyon has been supported by grants totaling nearly $250,000, primarily from the National Institutes of Health.
Undergraduates play a key role in Lindblom’s research. Students working in his lab at Lyon have been authors on three research papers including a recent article published in Science magazine. Lyon undergraduates have collaborated with Dr. Lindblom to present their research at regional and international professional meetings on more than 25 occasions.
This fall, Dr. Lindblom, his wife Susan, and his son, Ethan, moved into Spragins House located in the center of Lyon’s freshman quadrangle. Here, Lindblom began a three-year stint as Resident Faculty Mentor for first-year students. In this capacity, he orchestrates programming for new students while he and his family provide willing ears, small-group meals, and lively discussion sessions.
Dr. Lindblom was selected by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology as a volunteer member of the ivory-billed woodpecker search team in Arkansas this past winter. He has continued his interest in this project through a new collaboration with scientists from Arkansas State University studying the dispersal of pileated woodpeckers.
Dr. Lindblom also has been a vocal champion of Lyon’s outdoor experience activities. He was a founder and remains an adviser to the X-treme Adventure Squad (XAS), a popular student group that participates in outdoor recreational activities. This fall, thanks to his leadership, the College established a disc golf course on the Lyon campus.
“I believe that outdoor recreation such as hiking, cycling and climbing helps exercise the mind in refreshing ways, keeping students ready to learn in the classroom,” he explained.
In his personal statement to the Professor of the Year judges, Lindblom said, “The more I teach, the more I realize that as educators, our responsibilities to our students go far beyond the simple delivery of content in the classroom. Rather, the classroom content delivery is a foundation, it is where we begin the process of building intelligent and thoughtful graduates.”
The 2008 Professors of the Year were selected from nearly 300 top faculty members nominated by colleges and universities across the country. This year there were winners in 44 states, the District of Columbia and Guam.
Nominees are evaluated in four areas: impact on and involvement with undergraduate students; scholarly approach to teaching; service to undergraduate students, institution, community and profession; and support from colleagues and students.
