Five University of Iowa faculty members—Eric Gidal, Trevor Harvey, Emily Hughes, Margaret Murray, and Rene Rocha—were named recipients of the 2024 Hubbard-Walder Award for Excellence in Teaching. 

The award, which was presented for the first time in 2021, is given to UI faculty who have participated in a variety of university teaching (undergraduate, graduate, or professional; classroom, one-on-one) and have contributed to curriculum and/or program development. Each recipient must have a minimum of six years’ teaching experience at Iowa.

Eric Gidal

Gidal is a professor in the Department of English with a focus on environmental literary studies, public humanities, and European literature of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. During his 27 years at Iowa, he has innovated cross-disciplinary teaching methods that emphasize collaboration and project-based learning. In recent years, he has developed a core literature requirement for the university's Sustainability Certificate and has led graduate students to collaborate with community partners to promote historical preservation and water quality improvement. In addition to teaching, Gidal’s ongoing English curriculum reform has been critical to the department’s vibrant atmosphere of intellectual excitement and creativity.

Trevor Harvey

Harvey is an associate professor of instruction in the UI School of Music. For the past 12 years, he has developed and taught a variety of ethnomusicology courses which include general education lectures, honors and graduate seminars, and study abroad experiences. Often in collaboration with other departments and organizations in Eastern Iowa, his courses provide students the opportunity to experience a rich variety of music beyond classical music and jazz. He regularly brings in local or visiting performers to interact with students, so that they experience music as a living art form. In 2021, Harvey was nominated for the International Engagement Teaching Award, which is jointly awarded by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and University of Iowa International Programs.
 

Emily Hughes

Hughes is the Edward F. Howrey Professor in Advocacy and Professional Responsibility and senior associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Law. In her 12 years at Iowa, she received the College of Law Collegiate Teaching Award and was nominated for the President and Provost Award for Teaching excellence three times. Her courses examine the ethical responsibilities of practicing law and provide students with effective tools for reflective analysis and problem solving. Through her extensive collaboration with local public defenders and the private criminal defense bar, Hughes has been critical in providing students with real-world experience and even employment opportunities like judicial clerkships. 

Margaret Murray

Murray is an associate professor of instruction in the Departments of Rhetoric and Mathematics. Throughout her 16 years at Iowa developing and teaching interdisciplinary courses like STEM-focused Rhetoric, History of Mathematics, and Diverse Perspectives in the Mathematical Sciences, she has developed compassionate, practical methods that guide students to think deeply and communicate clearly about social and historical issues in STEM. Murray’s own intellectual curiosity and passion for critical reading have had a profound impact on students both inside and outside the classroom.
 

Rene Rocha

Rocha is a professor in the Department of Political Science, where he has taught courses relating to themes of race, ethnicity, and politics for the past 17 years. His thoughtful and engaging teaching methods provide students of all backgrounds the freedom to explore complex issues without judgment. He received the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Collegiate Teaching Award in 2013 and is the Herman J. and Eileen S. Schmidt Chair, which honors faculty for excellence and sustained leadership in the education of undergraduates. As the longtime director of the Latina/o/x Studies minor program, Rocha’s efforts have furthered academic success, inclusiveness, and educational attainment for all students.