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Six
Exceptional Pomona College Faculty Members Voted Wig
Professors by Students
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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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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 at the College, one of the nation's
premier liberal arts colleges. The award recognizes
exceptional teaching, concern for students and service to
the College and community.
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.
Pomona College, one of the nation’s premier liberal arts
institutions, offers a comprehensive program in the arts,
humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Its
hallmarks include small classes, close relationships between
students and faculty, and a range of opportunities for
student research. Pomona College is one of only a handful of
schools that has need-blind admissions and meets the full
financial need of each accepted student.
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