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Pomona College professors Pierre Englebert, Richard Hazlett,
Slavi Slavov, Wayne Steinmetz, Nicole Weekes, and
Samuel Yamashita have been elected to receive the 2006 Wig
Distinguished Professor Awards for Excellence in Teaching, by a vote of
students. The award recognizes exceptional teaching, concern for
students and service to the College and community.
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Wayne Steinmetz, Samuel Yamashita, Slavi Slavov,
Pierre Englebert, Richard Hazlett and Nicole Weekes (not pictured) won the 2006
Wig Awards. |
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The recipients of the Wig Awards are elected by the junior and senior
classes and then confirmed by a committee of trustees, faculty and
students. The awards were announced at Pomona's 113th Commencement held
on May 14, 2006. They were established by Mr. and Mrs. R.J. Wig in 1955.
In a first, this year's Wig Committee also adopted a resolution
commending English Professor Martha Andresen "for a lifetime of
distinguished and extraordinary teaching." Andresen, who came to Pomona
in 1972 and is retiring this year, received the Wig Award every year for
which she was eligible, a total of seven times.
Here are the details on this year's winners:
 Pierre Englebert, an associate professor of politics, joined the
Pomona College faculty in 1998 and teaches courses in international
relations, with an emphasis on comparative politics and Africa. This is
his second Wig Award.
Student comments included: “a great mentor who teaches with a passion
and makes complex material easy to understand.” “Fabulous teacher both
in and out of the classroom. Really interesting lectures and discussions
that form a comprehensive body of knowledge for the class. Cares about
and makes time for students more than any other teacher I have met.”
“Not afraid of real debate.” “He takes the time to meet his students and
learn what they are passionate about.” “Professor Englebert teaches his
classes with both scholarly passion & a fun-loving attitude that often
rivals stand-up comedy in its hilarity.”
Englebert focuses his research on the relationship between state-society
relations and the economic performance in developing countries, with an
emphasis on Sub-Saharan Africa. His publications include State
Legitimacy and Development in Africa (2000); Burkina Faso:
Unsteady Statehood in West Africa (1996); several book chapters; and
articles in the journals African Affairs, Afrika Spectrum and
Comparative Politics.
He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California, an M.A.
from Johns Hopkins University, and a B.A. and M.A. from Free University
of Brussels.
 Richard W. Hazlett is the Stephen M. Pauley M.D. ’62 Professor or
Environmental Studies, chair of the Environmental Analysis Program, and
a professor of geology. He joined Pomona’s faculty in 1987 and teaches
Introduction to Environmental Studies, Land Use and Abuse, Strategic
Natural Resources, and Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. This is his
third Wig Award.
Student comments include: “[Hazlett] is an absolutely phenomenal
professor.” “His passion is his students and subject matter, a fact that
becomes evident 10 minutes after the first class period of a new
semester begins. Professor Hazlett's willingness to engage students in
and outside of the classroom makes him an amazingly effective
instructor.” “He can instill excitement about the environmental sciences
through well-reasoned discourse and scientific data that cut through the
rhetoric that often surround that field.” “His concern for the
environment is obvious, but instead of teaching a certain set of views
he ensures that his students think thoroughly about issues and come to
their own conclusions.” “He encourages students to push their own limits
and trust their ability to make social change.”
In his research, Hazlett focuses on volcanology; igneous petrology;
mineralogy; land use issues pertaining particularly to oil depletion,
forestry and agriculture; and the role of selected natural resources in
human conflict and history. His recent research has included work in the
eastern Aleutian Islands on volcanic stratigraphy and more recently an
exploration of land use issues focusing on the American West.
Hazlett received his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California,
his M.A. from Dartmouth College, and his B.A. from Occidental College.
 Slavi Slavov, an assistant professor of economics, joined the
Pomona faculty in 2003 and teaches courses on macroeconomics,
international economics, and international macroeconomic policy and
monetary institutions. This is his first Wig Award and the first year he
was eligible.
Student comments include: “He brings a true sense of exuberance to the
material that he teaches.” “He is not only a brilliant and interesting
lecturer, but he genuinely makes a connection with his students…. He
genuinely cares about his students and the quality of the classes he
teaches.” “He has the amazing capability to explain difficult concepts
simply, logically, and creatively, despite his in depth knowledge of
them.” “Always there for students - even when he's in his office till
midnight running regressions.” “If I'd only taken economics earlier in
my college career, I might have majored in it, just because [Slavov] is
so wonderful. He made me think about the world around me in an entirely
different way.”
In his research, Slavov studies the impact of volatility among the three
major currencies on small open economies; the impact of UN sanctions on
third countries; and the impact of the introduction of the euro on
exchange rate pass-through in the Euro area. He earned his Ph.D. from
Stanford University and his B.A. from Grinnell College.
 Wayne Steinmetz, the Carnegie Professor of Chemistry, joined the
Pomona faculty in 1973 and teaches Environmental Chemistry, General
Chemistry, Physical Chemistry in Molecular Biology, Physical Chemistry,
Physical Measurements and Analysis, Molecular Structure and Modeling.
This is his second Wig Award.
Student comments include: “His classes are challenging, but his lectures
always contain detailed explanations and derivations of the principles
and equations, making the information much more accessible.” “The class
I took from Dr. Steinmetz was very challenging, yet he was always
willing to take extra time to help me learn the material outside of
class.” “Amazingly knowledgeable in many areas of science; ever-willing
to help and explain.” “He is passionate and impressively knowledgeable
about an interdisciplinary array of scientific topics…. He is extremely
good at teaching and it is apparent that he deeply enjoys it because
he's doing it all the time, in and out of the classroom.” “I'm always
surprised by the written feedback he provides on assignments and the
time he spends patiently with students during his office hours.”
In his research, Steinmetz employs modeling techniques and instrumental
measurements to obtain the three-dimensional structure of molecules. He
is the author of numerous professional articles in a variety of
professional journals including the Journal of Physical Chemistry,
Journal of Organic Chemistry, and the Journal of Medical
Chemistry. He earned his Ph.D. and A.M. from Harvard University and
his A.B. from Oberlin College.
 Nicole Weekes, an associate professor of psychology, joined the
Pomona faculty in 1998 and teaches Foundations in Neuroscience,
Psychological Approaches, Human Neuropsychology, and Biological Basis of
Psychopathology. In 2001, she was named the “California Professor of the
Year” by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and
the Carnegie Foundation.
Student comments include: “I have never met a more engaging speaker, a
professor more dedicated to making sure her students learn the material
and enjoy the process, or a teacher with more inventive and entertaining
teaching methods.” “She made classes exciting….I even signed up for a
Friday afternoon seminar because she was teaching it. She's amazing,
full of energy and really cares about her students and makes learning
really fun (honestly).” “I deeply admire her enthusiasm in her
classroom, the clarity of her lectures, and her strong relationships
with her students. I count myself lucky to have had the opportunity to
be advised by Professor Weekes. In this capacity, she takes a personal
approach to advising, and not only comes to know your intellectual work
and aspirations, but also your personal struggles and triumphs.”
Weekes focuses her research on individual and group differences in
neuropsychological functioning, with an emphasis on the effects of
biological sex, handedness, and stress and hormone levels. In terms of
neuropsychological functioning, she is interested in differences in
hemispheric specialization, hemispheric communication and memory
functioning. She has reported the results of her research in articles
published in the professional journals Stress and Health,
Brain and Cognition, Brain, and Brain and Language.
She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Los
Angeles and her B.A. from Boston University.
 Samuel Yamashita, the Henry E. Sheffield Professor of History,
joined the Pomona faculty in 1983 and teaches Asian Traditions; State
and Citizen in Modern Japan; Rethinking Modern Asian History; Tokugawa
Thought; Early Modern Japan; and Modern Japan. This is his fifth Wig
Award.
Student comments include: “He represents the excellence he demands of
his students- preparation, broad education, and thorough analysis.”
“Among the best intellectual experiences I've had at Pomona have been
with Prof. Yamashita.” “Despite the three writing intensive classes he
teaches per semester, Professor Yamashita somehow manages to make
detailed typewritten comments and suggestions on each part of the
research paper process for each and every one of his students.” “He
opened me up to history when I was a freshman, and now I'm a history
major. His lectures are brilliant and he is very dedicated.” “I honestly
believe that a Pomona education is incomplete without taking one class
with Prof. Yamashita.”
In his research, Yamashita examines the modern Japanese state and its
ideological constructions. To understand how the general population
responded to wartime ideology, he has read diaries and letters written
by ordinary Japanese servicemen, civilians, women, and children during
World War II. The resulting book, Leaves from an Autumn of
Emergencies: Selections from the Wartime Diaries of Ordinary Japanese,
was published by the University of Hawaii Press in fall 2005. His second
research project is a study of the six Confucian academies that
dominated the intellectual landscape in Japan between 1660 and 1760.
Yamashita earned his Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Michigan and
his B.A. from Macalester College.
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