National Award is an Important First for South Carolina and Columbia College

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) have named Dr. John Zubizarreta “U. S. Professor of the Year” for undergraduate baccalaureate colleges. Zubizarreta is a professor of English and director of honors and faculty development for Columbia College. The award was presented at a special ceremony held in Washington, D.C., on November 18. This is the first time that a South Carolina professor has been selected for this prestigious national honor.

“What an extraordinary honor for Dr. Zubizarreta and Columbia College. This is an important first for our College and South Carolina. It also marks the first time that both the U. S. Professor of the Year and the National Collegiate Honors Council Student of the Year have been selected in the same year at the same institution. This affirms what we have known all along, that the quality of academics at Columbia College is of the highest caliber, and our honors program is second to none,” said President Whitson.

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 undergraduate teaching.

“Dr. Z.,” as he is known to the campus community, has been a member of the Columbia College faculty for 22 years and has served as the director for the honors program for 19 years. He calls honors a “jewel” in his career, which has benefited from his long-term commitment and active involvement with the National Collegiate Honors Council. Zubizarreta describes Columbia College as the place where his teaching “blossomed. He said, “It’s an environment that emphasizes collaborative learning and discussion-based teaching. It’s one of the great values of a women’s college, and that coincided with the kind of teacher that I wanted to be.”

Zubizarreta has received numerous teaching honors and is published widely in over fifty articles, chapters, and five books focused mostly on teaching and learning. He is immediate past-president of the National Collegiate Honors Council. In life outside the classroom, he describes himself as an avid telemark skier and fisherman; an overly ambitious, aching runner; a former six time national champion in whitewater canoe competition; a moonstruck husband; and the adoring father of two girls.

Zubizarreta was nominated for extraordinary dedication to undergraduate teaching and selected for his impact on and involvement with undergraduate students. The award criteria also cite the nominee’s scholarly approach to teaching and learning; contribution to undergraduate education in the institution, community and profession; and support from colleagues and current and former undergraduate students.