12/08/2023

Harold Braswell, Ph.D., and Paul Lynch, Ph.D., are the inaugural winners of the University Core’s 2023 Ignite Instructor of the Year Award.

Braswell, associate professor in the Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics, was recognized for his spring 2023 seminar, “Life: A User’s Manual.” Lynch, an associate professor of English, was the fall 2023 winner for his seminar, “Writing as a Way of Life.” 

The Saint Louis University Core begins with the Ignite Seminar (CORE 1000), in which students are introduced to what makes teaching and learning at SLU distinctive and transformative. These seminars strive to "ignite" first-year students’ sense of intellectual wonder and inspire curiosity about the world around them.

In presenting this year’s awards, Core Director Ellen Crowell said that the winners were selected from student nominations. Over 90 individual students nominated their 2023 Ignite instructors, with more than 50 different instructors nominated. That list was pared down to a group of 13 finalists, and from the finalists, Braswell and Lynch were selected as the inaugural winners. 

The winners were honored at a reception on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at the historic Samuel Cupples House. 

A student in Braswell’s Ignite Seminar praised him for the way he ran the class. 

“After taking Dr. Braswell's class the importance of open discussion in college became more relevant to how I want to spend my time at SLU,” the student said in their nomination. “Instead of telling us how to think, Dr. Braswell allowed each of his students to educate themselves through reading and discuss and create their own opinions within a welcoming environment.”

Another student said they were unsure what to expect from Braswell’s class, but ended up really enjoying it. 

“As a freshman who took Dr. Braswell’s class out of curiosity about the title, I never expected to form such a strong bond with the teacher,” the nominator said. “Dr. Braswell's class touched on very important topics of philosophy and history that not only related to everyday life but to himself as well.”

A student in Lynch’s Ignite Seminar said he helped them navigate their first semester at the University.

“At the beginning of the year, I expressed a contrite desire to transfer, and instead of just trying to tell me how amazing SLU was, Dr. Lynch was receptive to my writing and understanding in a way that I had not experienced before,” the student wrote. “He helped me see that SLU is the right place for me, and I am so grateful for his different and helpful advice for making me see that I do belong here. His character is woven into the fabric of the seminar and what the class is about. Because of him, the seminar has changed the way I see myself and additionally helped me solidify what I want to do in the future as well.”

A second nomination for Lynch cited his ability to make the class enjoyable as a reason he deserved the honor. 

“Dr. Lynch is an amazing professor,” the student wrote. “I looked forward to coming to class every day. Our class discussions were lively and thought-provoking. He made me feel like I mattered as a student and wasn't a nameless face in a sea of unknowns.”

Finalists

In addition to the award winners, Tuesday’s ceremony also recognized finalists who received multiple student nominations. The finalists were:

• Martha Allen, professor, SLU Libraries
• Emily Dumler-Winkler, Ph.D., assistant professor, Theological Studies
• Noelle E. Fearn, Ph.D., dean of the School of Social Work
• Julia Henderson-Kalb, OTD, assistant professor; Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
• Rachel Lindsey, Ph.D., assistant professor, Theological Studies
• Filippo Marsili, Ph.D., associate professor, History
• Gary Ritter, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education
• Annie Smart, Ph.D., professor, French
• Daniel Smith, Ph.D., associate professor, Theological Studies
• Bobby Wassel, Ph.D., director, Center for Social Action and associate director of the Core, Cura Personalis and Reflection-in-Action