Stories of the Awardees
2022-2023 Awardees of the Provost Award for Undergraduate Teaching Impact
Dana D'Angelo, MBA, Clinical Professor of General Business
Dana D’Angelo’s first job out of college was working at what was then Andersen Consulting, where she stayed for two years before enrolling in Drexel University to earn an MBA.
Her plan was to return to the consulting firm upon completing her master's, which she did, but something happened along the way that changed her professional journey. While attending Drexel, D’Angelo worked as a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Accounting.
“I loved it,” she said in a recent interview.
That teaching experience greatly influenced D’Angelo’s professional trajectory, though it went unrealized for some time. The fondness D’Angelo had acquired for teaching nagged at her long after she received her MBA and returned to the consulting firm.
Lisa DiMaio, EdD, Teaching Professor of English
On the first day of her courses teaching multilingual students in the First-Year Writing Program, Lisa DiMaio, EdD, hands out notecards for each student to share some background information on themselves including their native language and country, hobbies, and whether they have any food allergies.
“I love to bake,” DiMaio said.
Students love her classes and her baking, whether it’s cupcakes sprinkled with the colors of their country’s flag or ugly sweater cookies brought in during December.
“I want them to feel at home,” DiMaio said. “Their families are thousands of miles away and I want my classroom to be a home away from home for the students. By creating a warm and stress-free environment, we create an atmosphere where students feel comfortable, and if they feel comfortable and not anxious, they are more willing to take risks, collaborate and learn.”
Dimitrios Papadopoulos, EdD, Associate Teaching Professor of Mathematics
During his junior year at Ridley High School in Delaware County, Dimitrios Papadopoulos, EdD, was terrified of his AP calculus teacher, Mrs. Crosby, who he described as “pretty intimidating.”
Despite this youthful perception, Mrs. Crosby has since become a lifelong inspiration for Papadopoulos, his career as a math professor and the way he approaches teaching. This lasting impact came during a seminal moment in AP calculus when he asked Mrs. Crosby a question about a problem. She acknowledged she didn’t know the answer and would need time to figure it out.
Joshua Weiss, MFA, Teaching Professor and Program Director of Visual Studies
As an undergraduate student at The Savannah College of Art and Design, Joshua Weiss laid the foundation for his future career as a visual arts instructor.
A painting major, Weiss was surrounded by young faculty who were helping to define SCAD’s direction and were eager to mentor new students. This early educational experience provided an intimate environment for students like him to learn and grow alongside their instructors.
“It was very special,” Weiss recalled in a recent interview. “If I didn’t have those instructors, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with painting like I did. It became a little community and that was something I was always looking for — to be around people who do your craft and talk about it. It’s not a given something like that will happen.”