Ryan Arvidson named Wittke Award winner
Each year, the university recognizes the outstanding contributions of faculty members with the Carl F. Wittke Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. This year, Ryan Arvidson, assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry, received the award for his exceptional impact in the classroom.
Established in honor of Carl Wittke in 1971, the Carl F. Wittke Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching is a prestigious recognition of demonstrated excellence in undergraduate teaching. Wittke, a former faculty member, dean, and vice president of Western Reserve University left a lasting legacy in the field of education.
Read more about Ryan Arvidson's impact as an educator below.
Ryan Arvidson
Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry
Ryan Arvidson never expected to become an educator. In fact, the idea terrified him. It wasn’t until he started student teaching and developing good relationships with course directors and professors that he thought he might be cut out for it. It didn’t hurt that he was also receiving good reviews.
“If you had told me 10 years ago this is where I’d be, I wouldn’t have believed it,” he said.
Since Arvidson is a scientist at heart, accepting the opportunity to teach and continue his research as an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry at Case Western Reserve University was an easy choice.
“The job description matched my expertise and interests so well that I got excited,” he said. “[CWRU] became my top priority.”
One of Arvidson’s favorite aspects of the university is the emphasis on high-quality undergraduate education—a focus his students value in his style of teaching.
As one of his student nominators commented, “I really appreciate that he understands learning can be difficult and that students have lives and interests outside of his class. His teaching style accounts for these factors, and I cannot thank him enough for that.”
Arvidson’s dedication to his students has led him to being named a recipient of the Carl F. Wittke Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
When asked what receiving this award means to him, Arvidson said, “It’s humbling. This award is student-driven so it makes it a tremendous honor. It also gives me confidence that I’m doing the right thing; and to keep doing what I’m doing.”
His students would agree.
“Excellence entails consistency; Dr. Arvidson has been amazing consistently, and I think that his teaching is at the level of excellence,” said another student nominator.
What drives Arvidson’s excellence is his students’ engagement.
“Knowing that when I’m going to class they are engaged gives me motivation to put more passion in my teaching,” he said.
Arvidson understands that each student is an individual and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to teaching; he views his job as being to give students all the tools possible for them to succeed.
“I consider myself a catalyst for their learning,” he said. “They’re the ones who have to learn it. My job is to make their job easier.”