University Core Honors Ignite Instructors
12/10/2024
Two Ignite Seminar instructors were honored with the 2024 Ignite Instructor of the Year Award.
Shannon Cooper-Sadlo, Ph.D. (Social Work), and Meadow Campbell, Ph.D. (Center for Anatomical Science and Education) were recognized for their work in teaching Ignite seminars. Cooper-Sadlo won for her Spring 2024 seminar entitled “Conversations with a Mom, but not Your Mom.” Campbell was the Fall 2024 winner for her seminar entitled “Dissecting a Timeline: Anatomy Through the Ages.”
Shannon Cooper-Sadlo, Ph.D. (Social Work), left, and Meadow Campbell, Ph.D. (Center for Anatomical Science and Education) were honored at the reception on Tuesday, Dec. 3, for their work in teaching Ignite seminars. Photo by Joe Barker.
The Ignite Seminars are part of SLU’s University Core program. The Ignite Seminars are designed to introduce students 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, Ph.D., praised the work of all the Ignite instructors. Crowell said that the winners were selected from over 100 student nominations and 50 different instructors nominated.
The winners were selected by a committee and were honored at a reception on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at the historic Samuel Cupples House.
Cooper-Sadlo was praised by students for the way the class handled difficult conversations.
“She recognizes the challenges that many college students grapple with, from navigating grief and anxiety to understanding the complexities of love, relationships, and finding one's path in life,” a student wrote in their nomination. “Rather than shying away from these topics, she embraces them, creating a safe and supportive environment where students feel empowered to explore and share their experiences.”
Another student said Cooper-Sadlo’s seminar was a space where they never felt like the class was passively learning.
“With her guidance, we not only gain academic insights but also cultivate empathy, resilience, and a deeper understanding of ourselves and others,” the nominator wrote. “Dr. Cooper-Sadlo's impact extends far beyond the confines of the classroom, encouraging me and my classmates to reflect on the relationships and themes we go through in life.”
A student in Campbell’s seminar said the class helped reinforce that they were on the right track.
“I have wanted to do forensic pathology for a while now and this ignite seminar has done nothing but ignite passion in me and solidify my feeling that I am in the right field of work,” the student wrote. “I love learning about this topic and I am so grateful for the opportunity to take this class.”
Another student said Campbell’s teaching has had a major impact on how they view themselves and the world around them.
“Taking Dr. Campbell’s seminar has really encouraged me to appreciate the value that everyone's unique interpretations have,” the student wrote in their nomination. “Looking back through time at all of the different ways cultures throughout the world have developed has shown me how everyone's own perceptions and beliefs are valuable and allow the world to be a much more vibrant place. Being aware of this has allowed me to understand that I bring a unique aspect to SLU in and of myself and through being a person with their own experiences, as do all of the rest of my classmates.”
Other Finalists
In addition to Cooper-Sadlo and Campbell, the ceremony also recognized the 18 finalists from across the university.
The finalists who attended the 2024 Ignite Instructor of the Year reception on Tuesday, Dec. 3, gathered for a photo. Photo by Joe Barker.
Spring 2024 Finalists
- Amy E. Wright, Ph.D. (Languages, Literatures, and Cultures)
- Ajlina Karamechic-Maratovic, Ph.D. (Sociology and Anthropology)
- Carolyn O’Laughlin, Ph.D. (Education)
- Patricia Bass, Ph.D. (Jesuit Worldwide Leader)
Fall 2024 Finalists
- Martha Allen (Libraries and Museums)
- Bobby Wassel, Ph.D. (Center for Social Action)
- Abigail Jorgensen, Ph.D. (Sociology and Anthropology)
- Caitlin Stamm and Katie Mascari (Libraries and Museums)
- Allen Brizee, Ph.D. (English)
- Mary Maxfield, Ph.D. (Women's and Gender Studies)
- Ness Sandoval, Ph.D. (Sociology and Anthropology)
- Joan Hart-Hasler, Ph.D. (Theological Studies)
- Emily A. Phillips, Ph.D. (English)
- Filippo Marsili, Ph.D. (History)
- Jesse Helton, Ph.D. (Social Work)
- Leah Sweetman, Ph.D. (Center for Social Action)
- Mark Ruff, Ph.D. (History)
- Mitzi Brammer, Ph.D. (Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences)
Latest Newslink
- SLU History Professor Receives Fulbright Specialist Award to Create Digital Tool Focusing on Gaelic IrelandThomas Finan, Ph.D., associate professor of history at Saint Louis University, has received a Fulbright Specialist Award. He will work with colleagues at the University of Galway to create a joint database of archaeological and historical research focusing on Gaelic Ireland.
- Don't Let that Cookie Crumble: SSE Teams Build, Test Gingerbread HousesTeams of students, faculty and staff in Saint Louis University's School of Science and Engineering recently put their engineering skills to work for a December Innovation Challenge. The teams built gingerbread houses designed to stand up during a weight-loading competition.
- Dr. Edward J. Feser Named 34th President of Saint Louis UniversityFeser, a Roman Catholic, Jesuit-educated leader in higher education, will assume the SLU presidency on July 1, 2025. Feser currently serves as the provost and executive vice president of Oregon State University (OSU), a land-grant institution with more than 38,000 students, a $1.8 billion budget and $480 million annually in externally funded research.
- SLU's Newest Alums Cheered at Commencement CeremonySaturday morning, hundreds of students walked across the stage at Chaifetz Arena and joined the Billiken alumni family. Saint Louis University celebrated its Midyear Commencement on Saturday, Dec. 14, In front of a packed crowd of family members, friends, and loved ones. Those in attendance and watching at home saw the newest graduates of SLU celebrated.
- Amy E. Wright Receives Honorable Mention for MLA's Katherine Singer Kovacs PrizeSaint Louis University's Amy E. Wright, Ph.D., received an honorable mention from the Modern Language Association of America (MLA) for the Katherine Singer Kovacs Prize for an outstanding book published in English or Spanish in the field of Latin American and Spanish literature and cultures. Wright, a professor of Hispanic Studies at SLU, received the honor for her book Serial Mexico: Storytelling across Media, from Nationhood to Now, published in 2023 by Vanderbilt University Press.
- SLU Professor and Author Jonathan Sawday Wins MLA's Prestigious James Russell Lowell PrizeSaint Louis University's Jonathan Sawday, Ph.D., has received the James Russell Lowell Prize for the most outstanding book published in 2023.
