Dalhousie Professor Among Top University Teachers in Canada

Dalhousie Computer Science Professor, Srinivas Sampalli has been named as one of the prestigious 3M Teaching Fellows for 2005. He received the award today during the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education conference in Charlottetown. He was the only Nova Scotia-based professor to be recognized this year.

The 3M Fellowship is the exclusive national award for teaching and leadership in Canadian universities and it is the only national-level, multi-disciplinary teaching excellence award. Up to ten Fellowships are awarded each year.

Sampalli is excited to be recognized as one of the country’s leading teachers. “I am deeply humbled by this wonderful recognition,” he says. “I have always been extremely passionate about teaching and consider it to be of the utmost importance in my academic career. Receiving appreciative endorsements from my students and being recognized for a job that I love to do is indeed gratifying. I am proud and honoured to represent my Faculty, Dalhousie University and Nova Scotia on the national arena of teaching excellence.”

Sampalli is known for his enthusiasm, energy, and professionalism, coupled with a profound love of teaching and of his students who reciprocate with many endorsements of him as “the greatest teacher ever.” While assuming demanding administrative duties in support of his institution's computer science program, he continues to teach five courses per year for which his students have rewarded him with an overall average teaching assessment of 4.94 out of 5 over a twelve-year period.

Sampalli is a prolific contributor to teaching workshops, panel discussions, and faculty orientation sessions. He has made major contributions to Dalhousie's faculty and student mentoring programs and currently supervises the research activities of a large group of both graduate and undergraduate students.

There are now 192 3M Teaching Fellows scattered throughout Canada representing a broad range of academic disciplines. They work individually and collaboratively to enhance teaching and learning at their own institutions and through larger collaborative initiatives supported by the Society.