ACCOUNTING

Warren Bostrom

-Boz takes a real, personal interest in his classes. He starts every class with a short story about something that has happened to him lately or the latest NASCAR news. During class he always does his best to keep even the driest material as interesting as possible with examples or stories from his experience as a CPA. Outside of class, Boz makes himself very available for questions. He also never makes you guess at what is expected of you on an assignment or what you need to know for a test. – Amy Anderson

-He knows how to make class interesting. – Lance Radziej

Jean Ochu
-She is the most approachable and friendly person ever. She’s always willing to help out her students and lend a helping hand. All in all, just the greatest! – Whitney Walker

-She has a unique teaching style and an up-and-at ‘em attitude; she is likable and gets the job done! – Thomas Joyce

Tonya Schmidt

-She is really helpful and she really knows her stuff. She always keeps class interesting and fun. By far the best accounting teacher I have had. – Luke Odegaard

ART

Sam Johnson

-He’s awesome, flexible, inspriring, accepting, and fun. – Aimee Haag

-Not only is he very talented at his art, he is a very brilliant man. He takes the time to talk with each student about their work. He is always in a good mood, and is kind and generous. I always look forward to going to that class because of him. He keeps things fun and interesting and keeps everyone motivated, no matter if the student is an upper division art student or a lower division non-art major. He really deserves this award! – Katie Hilborn

-He’s funny, talented and has great one-liners. – Mollie McCarty

Br. David Paul Lange

-He is so passionate about art, supportive, very fun and he is one of the professors who knows what he is talking about! Recommended! – Munkhbaatar Baatar

-His lively and enthusiastic teaching style always makes class enjoyable. – Gabriel Hymer

-He is the coolest monk ever! He can call everybody by their nicknames. He’s always so happy and excited to see you. He’s extremely passionate in class and helpful in developing writing skills. He’s also talented in art. He can naturally mix art and writing, discussion and other skills together. He can make a boring topic super fun! My classmates all love him. – Zheng Wang

ASIAN STUDIES

Richard Bohr

-He really cares and respects his students. He really gets his students interested in working in Asia and has made great contibutions to the Asian Studies program. – Jenny Vuong

BIOLOGY

Charles Rodell

-He loves what he teaches and is so energetic and enthusiastic that he makes an 8 a.m. not only bearable but enjoyable! – Sarah Jepperson

-Dr. Rodell is genuinely excited when he lectures. It keeps you awake, alert and above all, interested! I loved his class. And in evolution, you get to go to the zoo! – Matthew Haas

David Mitchell

-He is a wonderful professor who keeps class entertaining by engaging students. He has a great sense of humor and continuously cracks jokes throughout class. Also, he makes lab fun and interesting. Dave is also a pre-med/ pre-dental advisor and is very open to meeting with students to assist them in the application and interview process. Even when he is extremely busy, he makes time to meet with students. For all these reasons and many more, Dr. Mitchell should be recognized as an outstanding professor at CSB/SJU. – Katie Ward

Kristina Timmermann

-She makes things easy to understand and doesn’t make us learn any non-sense information and things like that. She is also very accommodating. – Alicia Pysick

-It is her first year teaching here and she has a passion for biology which is expressed in her teaching. Her lectures are interesting and straightforward with plenty of opportunity for interaction and questioning. Her past tests had the highest percentages in the whole department. She is encouraging and is always willing to give extra help and ask questions. – Katherine Sperides

Philip Chu

-I think he’s great because he takes the time to prepare his material so that his students are completely able to understand it. – Tina Lisk

Stephen Saupe

-Professor Stephen G. Saupe is passionate about teaching and enthusiastic about botany. He cares about his students and thrives on sharing his knowledge with us through necessary but interesting lectures, hands-on activities and lab work, on-campus field trips and experiences outside of the classroom (including inviting us over for apple cider and lunch!). PENGL 375 is comfortable because Steve creates a healthy learning environment by playing dorky botany-themed tunes, sharing Calvin and Hobbes plant comics and welcoming us with casual conversation before class starts. Professor Saupe is understanding and organized and provides us with resources to succeed in his class and further our learning independently. Also, his involvement with and support of the Saint John’s Arboretum helps to build community and promotes our wonderful on-campus extracurricular opportunities. Saupe is the curator of the Bailey Herbarium (and has been since 1994), which not only offers a beautiful place for students to study, but is a valuable biological resource for the CSB/SJU biology department (and an important part of our campus’ history). Overall, Steve Saupe’s excitement is contagious, and he is willing to do whatever it takes for students to learn. – Melissa Bach

James Poff

-Dr. Poff is tough, but the readings and lectures are interesting. He tests you on understanding rather than memorization, so if you do your reading, there’s no need to cram the night before. They are all essay-type questions. – Matthew Haas

CHEMISTRY

Anna McKenna

-Dr. McKenna is glory in human form. With her sword of knowledge, she constantly combats the perils that litter the lives of chemistry students. With her tissue of compassion she wipes away the tears of frustrated o-chem students. With her ruler of order, she connects the line from student to success as a diligent academic advisor for those who do so seek her assistance. And lastly, but by no means least, with her piece of holy chalk, she pours her endless aura of knowledge onto the blackboard for her students to assimilate. Dr. McKenna, the woman, the legend. – Nicole Gagnon & Amy Hogerton

Carleen Schomer

-Sr. Schomer is wonderful. Her lectures and tests are straightforward. You will always know what to expect, and she is readily available outside of class to help you with studying. – Matthew Haas

Thomas Jones

-He is my chemistry professor and he is possibly one of the most interesting teachers I know. I have a whole list of my favorite quotes that he says during class in my notebook. There are so many amazing quotes but here’s a few to let you understand how funny he is:
-”We were busting a serious move.” Sept. 4, 2007.
-”I kid you not he is going to ape poo poo over this.” Sept. 6, 2007
-”If I were evil, which is my way.” Oct. 3, 2007

And many more. – Bethany Beniek

Richard White

-I can tell that Dr. White really cares about his students and their learning. It means a lot to have a professor who can bring a subject to life with his own enthusiasm. When you have a professor who loves what he does and has the patience to be there for every minute of the learning process, you know you are in a great class. Dr. White is that professor and I am in that class. – Benjamin Murray

COMMUNICATION

Karyl Daughters

-They make uncomfortable and boring classes into classes I would never want to miss, even on my death bed. – Abby Stahl

Kelly Berg

-They make uncomfortable and boring classes into classes I would never want to miss, even on my death bed. – Abby Stahl

Aric Putnam

-He can relate to the students. He makes seemingly ancient material interesting and exciting. The dude is just cool. – Jansen Werner

EDUCATION

Mike Borka

-I’ve had four classes with Mike and he continues to be the most involved and entertaining teacher I have ever had. He always makes class relevant and fun, while teaching a great deal of material. I’d recommend anyone just starting in the education program to try to take one of his classes. – Joe Sass

ENGLISH

Sr. Mara Faulkner

-Sr.Mara is the sweetest, nicest and most caring professor at St. Ben’s. She will do anything to help you learn. She’s got a way of challenging you that makes you do your best possible work, without being in-your-face or offensive. – Joe Sass

-She is great because she motivates and inspires her students with her enthusiasm and encouragement. – Hanna Gilsvik

John Kendall

-Man, an 8 a.m. first-year symposium teacher with more energy than we could handle! What more can a non-sleeping first-year ask for from his first prof? It was one of the most challenging symposiums from what I heard, and although I resented that at the time, I still remember the phenomenal lessons we learned through reading powerful novels in class. Plus, when I slept through both of the finals, he let me come in and take them late! - Peter Jensen

-He is a great professor because he keeps me awake at 8 a.m. at SJU and you can talk about anything with him. – Catherine Jensen

Jill Zasadny

-She makes class fun – Sarah Skolte

Christina Shouse Tourino

-She is extremely excited about each text she teaches. Dr. Shouse Tourino knows how to challenge students and help them to have “Ah-hah!” moments (usually at least two per class period) without spelling things out. Class is never boring with Christina Shouse Tourino. Overall, she is a superb professor! – Michelle Macy

-She’s really enthusiastic about what she teaches and makes students want to learn – Kathryn Ebben

Elizabeth Johnson-Miller

-She exemplifies the perfect balance between a talented educator and a passionate mother! She is really neat—the whole class loves her! – Kathryn Torchia

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Jean Lavigne

-She’ll try anything once! – Trevor Drake

MATH

Michael Tangredi

-He is always enthusiastic about teaching math. Always. – Adam Skemp

Gary Brown

-Ever since I took a class taught by Gary my first semester here, he has been a great advisor and mentor for me. Over the past year he has taught me how to be passionate about mathematics. Whether attending his lectures in the classroom or working with him outside the classroom, I have always been blown away by his love for what he does and by his overwhelming desire to help his students do well. Gary makes the effort to make sure his students are comfortable working with him outside the classroom – that’s what makes attending a liberal arts college like this institution so special. – Carson Sievert

-He is a little (OK, a lot) nerdy, has a hilarious puffy down winter coat and has absolutely illegible handwriting. He is one of the smartest guys I know and he doesn’t take any crap. He has, so far, been the only professor I have had at CSB/SJU who actually demanded that I hand in my homework on time every time, and held me to that. He’s got high expectations, but he’s very helpful and wants people to succeed. He helped a musician to view the world from a mathematician’s perspective, and because of it, his course was the most rewarding academic experience I have ever had. – Raj Chaphalkar

Michael Gass

-Dr. Gass is amazing. I have him for Probability and Statistics, and he is the best math teacher I have ever had. After each new concept, he stops and answers any questions that students have. After answering the question, he checks to make sure that you got the information you needed. He is also incredibly laid back and one of the most understanding professors I have ever had, in regard to an inability to make it to class or a need to set up an appointment. He is truly a wonderful math teacher, and I would highly recommend him to anyone. – Jaselyn Taubel

Robert Dumonceaux

-I have had four classes with him, and I can honestly say he is the most cheerful teacher I have ever had. His kindness and enthusiasm not only make his classes stand out from others’, but also make him a special and unique prof who is worth taking a class with if one has the chance. – Kyle Zirbes

Tom Sibley

-Because he calls his teaching aids/materials “toys.” His office is always open for homework help and/or stories about random things like Africa. Plus, he teaches geometry. – Margaret Donahue

MANAGEMENT

Bob Gazich

-He is very down to earth and teaches you things that are applicable.- David Goblirsch

MILITARY SCIENCE

James Fischer

-Colonel Fischer has to be one of the most incredible professors and military historians in the profession. With his army background and Ph. D in military history, Colonel Fischer is highly qualified to educate future army officers as well as CSB/SJU students in general. Each and every class was interesting and highly informative, as Colonel Fischer illustrated not only the military aspects, but the political, economic and social aspects of military history. I’d recommend his classes to everyone. – Cameron Schneider

MUSIC

O. Nicholas Raths

-He is truly an amazing guitar studio professor, and a hilarious man! He is the most fair and explanatory music skills professor one could ever hope to have. – Nicholas Palmquist

Dale White

-Because he is extremely intelligent in his field, but still takes a lot of time to teach us all that he knows. He is also very funny and a lot of fun to be around. – Laura Gamache

Carolyn Finley

-She teaches private voice lessons as well as a diction class and opera workshop. She genuinely cares about each and every one of her students, and it shows through her passion for teaching and mentoring. She has lots of energy and enthusiasm for her job and is a great inspiration to her students. – Jennifer Mike

Axel Theimer

-He conducts the CSB/SJU Chamber Choir and SJU Men’s Chorus. He is the director of the Amadeus Chamber Symphony, Kantorei, the National Catholic Youth Choir and is the president of The Voice Care Network. He has a great passion for music and teaching, and exudes this excitement in every day rehearsals. He has a firm yet light-hearted demeanor and is well-liked among all of this students. He is a phenomenal musician and is also a great inspiration. – Jennifer Mike

-Axel Theimer is a musical god. He is also hilarious and good at controlling the class. He really cares, and probably doesn’t even need my nomination. – James Hayes

NURSING

Sigrid Hedman-Dennis

-She is great because she is extremely knowledgeable, but very approachable. She is not afraid to share her knowledge. She will make sure everyone understands the concept, even if she has to explain it in several different ways, before she will move on to the next topic. Also, she makes herself available for questions and academic advice both during class and outside of class. She takes her role as a professor very seriously, but keeps the classes light-hearted. Sigrid is an excellent prof, and upon reading your e-mail calling for best profs, her name jumped out. – Jennie Gappa

-She has tons of enthusiasm for nursing and teaching it, and she is always helpful when we have questions. – Sarah Roth

NUTRITION

Jayne Byrne

-Jayne is a great person and professor. She explains all the class material in an understandable way. She tries very hard to keep your stress level down by going slowly and mixing humor periodically throughout her classes too. I have her for two classes and feel very fortunate for this! Also, she works very hard. She is often in the office on Sundays and stays late into the evening at times. – Laura Murphy

PEACE STUDIES

Ronald Pagnucco

-Ron’s a sweet prof because he is laid back and has a great sense of style. – Lindsay Wimmer

PHILOSOPHY

Rene McGraw

-This is the most brilliant teacher I have ever had in my life. Rene will stretch your mind 200 percent and then he’ll stretch it a little more! His class made me realize how little I truly do know about life and the world. Kudos Rene! – Nicholas Palmquist

Steve Wagner

-He has worked at St. John’s for several years and brings a contagious passion for the philosophical works that are covered in our classes. Professor Wagner possesses an expansive knowledge of the materials covered as well as a genuine concern for the well-being of each individual student. He has a very diplomatic approach to the course, encourages participation and does a marvelous job keeping the students engaged through group activities and various philosophical exercises. These reasons, among many others, leads me to nominate him as the best professor for the philosophy department – James Peterson

-Steve Wagner’s class remains to this day my favorite class of my entire college career. He has a genuine passion for philosophy that is ridiculously contagious. You can see it as he stews over the ideas himself even during class and outside of class when one goes and talks with him. He loves it, and he teaches it in a way where those who are not even into philosophy are just whipped into the conversation and let their emotions and passions mix with their philosophical/rational thought train. He literally does magic in his classroom. It is to this day the only class where I, and most others, did not want to leave the class – one hour and 10 minutes was not enough. And, it was the only class where I pulled an all-nighter for fun writing a paper for it because I loved it so much! - Peter Jensen

-Steve Wagner is from the philosophy department and he is very passionate about his work. Each day he facilitates deep and applicable discussions. – Michael Lenczewski

-He energizes the material, loves his work, and exposes you to his thought process completely. I’ve had him twice now, and would take him again each semester if only I could. – Kyle Ellingson

PHYSICS

Tom Kirkman

-He is a very smart prof. He has answers to all of your questions. It is fun to take a class with him, excluding the material. I respect his ability of teaching. – Munkhbaatar Baatar

POLITICAL SCIENCE

Phil Kronebusch

-He is a funny guy and always available to chat! – Allison Schallock

Matt Lindstrom

-He is very approachable. If you put in your time, he will be great for you. – David Goblisrch

Gary Prevost

-He has been teaching the same classes for more than 30 years at SJU. He knows an incredible amount, and is great at keeping the class involved. – Corey Friend

PSYCHOLOGY

Linda Tennison

-Because she knows how to make class entertaining. - Maria Pena

-She has a very dry sense of humor in class that makes class awesome. Plus she knows what she is teaching, and does a great job at getting students to understand it. – Matt Voigt

Pam Bacon

-She makes her social psychology class fun and entertaining yet at the same time fast-paced and somewhat difficult. I feel I have learned a lot in the class. She is very smart, witty, hardworking and helpful; all qualities a great professor needs to have! – Danny Hansen

-She truly strives to encourage her students to gain knowledge and not just to earn a good grade. She is always willing to help anyone who has any questions or concerns. Pam goes out of her way to influence her students as well. For instance, she gathered a panel of upper classmen to talk to her FYS class just to hear insights and get advice from fellow students. Pam is truly a great professor and a wonderful person who should be recognized. – Heather Ley

Aubrey Immelman

-I nominated him because he knows his area of focus better than anyone else in the school. He also has a very interesting side practice doing hypnotherapy and focuses on criminal profiling, plus he’s really interesting. – Michael Lesczewski

Joe Buonanno

-He is a brilliant guy and a phenomenal teacher. He keeps the class atmosphere light even when going through some dry information, and he will always stop to answer questions. – Aaron Hellem

Michael Livingston

-He knows more about anything than anyone I know. He is open to new ideas and encourages questions and comments. He is my favorite professor of all time. – Chelsea Lorenz

SOCIAL WORK

Janelle Hinchley

-Janelle believes strongly in her students’ ability to succeed. She always challenges her students, but gives her supports along the way. – Carissa Hafemeyer

SOCIOLOGY

Liddy Hope

-I have Liddy for my Intro to Sociology and she is by far the most interesting teacher I have ever had. She has so many funny stories that tie into what we are learning. She makes coming to class fun. I never will miss her class, it is what makes my day! – Kelsey JuVette

Janet Hope

-Her classes are always so interesting and she is one of the professors you want to take all your classes with. She really pushes you to your full potential as a student and as a person. – Jenny Vuong

SPANISH

Christina Hennessy

-She still looks after me and helps me with my Spanish. She truly takes an interest in what I am doing even though she may not be teaching me right now. She still wants to keep in contact with our class and her previous students and I think that that shows a professor who really cares to see everyone succeed. – Leigh Bartholomew

Norma Rosas Mayen

-Her upbeat attitude is contagious to all her students, and she makes many attempts to keep everyone involved during class. She is such a sweet person, and a fabulous prof! – Erin Connelly

-She understands her students – Hattie Ruckheim

-She is always concerned that we understand her and the material. She wants class to be fun and interactive. She always tells us to be “Animo chicos!” or enthusiastic! She is a great prof for this being her first year at CSB/SJU! - Melissa Fruechte

-She is an unbelievable professor because she has a lot of faith in her students and never stops telling us how much she appreciates her class. In our literature class she has us read our assignments for homework but then we read them during class so that our comprehension multiplies and we can clear up any unclear portions of the reading. For our most recent test, she told us exactly what we need to study and she is holding a review session for us in the evening. She is a wonderfully sweet woman who thinks only of us as students and what she can do to make our Spanish ability better and help us to learn as much as we can. She makes class fun and easy going, and I have never learned more in a Spanish class in my now 11th year of learning this language. – Bailey Murphy

-She is such an incredible professor because she is always smiling, engages the class in Spanish discussion and gets her students to be excited about learning the language. – Amy Weum

-This is her first year at CSB/SJU and I think she’s doing a great job! She’s really nice and she understands her students and their learning needs. – Emily Carlson

Elena Sanchez-Mora

-She is nice and teaches class well. – David Johson

THEATER

Adam Houghton

-He sparks the love of the theater is all of his students and actors. He is kind, caring and dedicated to his work. – Sarah Howes

-Adam is one of the most amazing profs on campus. He is kind, caring and really knows his stuff. He is very mellow and rarely yells. If you are having trouble getting and staying in character, he will help you out with suggestions. He really makes sure that the actor has a say in what is going on and encourages you to make choices, instead of waiting for him to tell you what exactly you should do. Because he is also a professional actor, he knows what it’s like working in a professional theater atmosphere and will do his best to prepare you for it. I have never worked with a better director or prof. – Jaselyn Taubel

THEOLOGY

Kari-Shane Davis Zimmerman

-KSDZ makes class fun and interesting. She really makes you think about the material but her assignments aren’t overly time-consuming. The material she chooses is for the most part pretty interesting and she gives great study guides that make studying for her tests easy. Also, if you show up and show her you’re making an effort, she’s very willing to work with you when things get crazy. – Amy Anderson

-She always makes class fun and exciting. She has a great sense of humor and is open to new ideas. – Chelsea Lorenz

Kathy Cox

-Kathy truly cares about her students and makes a 110 percent effort to help her students succeed! She is an awesome lady! She turned my theology class into more of a philosophy class. Fear not Kathy, the class full of whining first-years has not yet got the best of you! – Nicholas Palmquist

-She is informative and straight to the point. – Sarah Skolte

Vincent Smiles

-The man is a genius and makes class thought provoking and fun to attend. – Matt Voigt

Barry Cytron

-I would like to nominate him because he is willing to go up and beyond the classroom setting to further discussion and help students. He engages in meaningful discussions, and although we discuss controversial issues, he is open and accepting of his beliefs and our possible differences. He values our time, and it is apparent he puts a lot into our class – which motivates us to strive for higher achievement. – Emily Sandberg

-He brings energy and motivation to class every day. He is excited about sharing his abundance of knowledge about Judaism. He is passionate in educating his students about the relationship between Judaism and Christianity. He enjoys challenging students to both think and reflect in an extraordinary way. – Natalia Calderon

Miguel Diaz

-The reason that I am nominating him is because he is so passionate about what he does, and he is really good at keeping you engaged in class. He is also extremely knowledgeable and intelligent, not to mention just an all around good guy! – Brian Walsh

Filed under: News by Justin Roth