Professor Dave Damm named 2016-2017 Professor of the Year
By: Jaci Olson
At Honors Day, April 5, 2017 the Professor of the Year Award was just one of the many awards announced. This year’s award went to Professor David Damm.
The Professor of the Year Award is sponsored by the Alpha Chi Honor Society. There are five people nominated.
Dr. Suzanne Falck-Yi is the faculty sponsor for the Alpha Chi Honor Society. Falck-Yi is also a Professor of English and Director of the Honors College at Waldorf University.
Falck-Yi says, “Alpha Chi sponsors this award every year. The members of Alpha Chi nominate professors to be on the list of candidates. This year they were: Dr. LeAnn Nash, Prof. Tim Bascom, Prof. Tina Wixom, Prof. Dean Swenson and the award recipient, Prof. David Damm. When Alpha Chi has the list made, then we send out a notice to all students to vote online on Survey Monkey. So, while it’s sponsored by Alpha Chi, everybody has a chance to participate in the voting.”
Falck-Yi adds, “The award is announced at the annual Honors Day ceremony in April, and for the past several years, Prof. Julienne Friday has made a wooden box engraved with the recipient’s name and the university seal on the top. The award recipient is also invited to be the keynote speaker at the next fall’s Alpha Chi induction ceremony.”
Professor David Damm is a Communications professor at Waldorf University. It is his 29th year of teaching.
Damm says, “I was a part time teacher at Waldorf before I was full time so this is my 24th year full time. Before that I was a working journalist for the Forest City newspaper. I got my Bachelor’s Degree from Waldorf in 1973 when they were still a two year school. I got my Master’s at the University of Iowa.”
On the award, Damm says “I have been nominated before so it was a surprise that I won. There are a lot of good professors here so it was a nice surprise.”
Damm elaborates on the award, “I received a certificate and a hand made box,” he says.
Some other awards Damm has received are the 1997 Board of Regents Outstanding Faculty Award.
Damm has some activities he enjoys when he is not teaching, “I love traveling. I have lead seven trips to Europe since 2004. I will be married 36 years in June. I’m an avid golfer. I love to read, especially nonfiction and mysteries,” Damm said.
Damm’s favorite part of teaching is “watching the students grow from freshman who were figuring college out and time management and then by the time they are seniors, I enjoy working with them to maximize their potential.”