Jan Wagner Receives 2004 Regents Distinguished Teaching Award

We are pleased to report that Dr. Jan Wagner is the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology recipient of the 2004 Regents Distinguished Teaching Award at Oklahoma State University.  Each year the award goes to one outstanding faculty member from each OSU College to recognize sustained excellence, dedication, and innovation in teaching.  Recognizing the general stature of the College faculty, it is a great honor for Jan to have been selected by a University panel.

 But, it is not an unexpected recognition.  Jan was honored by the ChE seniors in the Omega Chi Epsilon honorary as the Outstanding Teacher in the School of Chemical Engineering for four of the past five years.   Feedback from students, faculty, and alumni has always been very complementary of Jan’s teaching, and it provides considerable evidence that he has a sustained record of excellence.    Jan has been co-teaching both the Unit Operations Lab and the Process Economics and Design courses - the “capstone” courses in which students work in teams, burn the midnight oil, and write long reports on projects that make them integrate everything they have learned about science and engineering.  He understands the application of chemical engineering principles within the practice, and his teaching integrates the right topics, with the right progression of complexity, so that students can experience the right application of fundamentals to solve engineering problems.  Jan is our representative to the AIChE Center for Chemical Process Safety Undergraduate Education Committee and serves as the editor of its Safety and Chemical Engineering (SACHE) newsletter.  He has been instrumental in integrating safety and loss prevention into the chemical engineering curriculum.  Students leave very satisfied, and their satisfaction remains high as they progress in their professional careers.

             Dr. Wagner’s teaching has been in partnership with several other professors, notably Rob Whiteley, who was the 1998 college recipient of the Regents Distinguished Teaching Award.   Jan is dedicated to continuous improvement of the program and has made substantial contributions to lab equipment and techniques for managing student teams.   He is patient, but demanding; and holds himself to the same standards of excellence and personal commitment that he expects from the students and his teaching partners.

             Congratulations, Jan, and thank you.