Weinhold directs public relations graduate Carla Alvaro to the stage for her diploma

When Visiting Assistant Professor Kellee Weinhold arrived at the graduation ceremonies this June, she didn’t know that she would be honored with the Jonathan Marshall Award for Innovative Teaching in Journalism and Communication.

However, it was no surprise to the students who nominated her.

When the School put out the call for nominations earlier this spring, more than ten of Weinhold’s students wrote in suggesting she receive the award—a record number for a single faculty member.

Weinhold, who is known for her high standards and tough grading, teaches some of the most rigorous classes offered by the SOJC: Grammar for Journalists and Information Gathering. Both are large lecture classes, and both are notorious for heavy workloads and unbending deadlines.

But for the former magazine publisher, a tough approach pays off for both her and the students.

“Having expectations and standards for young people is not a ticket to disappointment,” she says. “Every single time a student reaches the bar set by his or her professor, there are two people who feel a sense of accomplishment—the student and the teacher.”

According to Weinhold, high expectations are not the only keys to success in motivating students, She is acutely aware that each class has a different personality and each class will respond to different approaches. As a result, Weinhold is constantly testing new techniques and exercises in the classroom.

Weinhold says two things keep her looking for new ways to make her classes more effective: She wants to help her students learn the material and enjoy the process; and she dreads being bored just as much as they do. The result is a lively, fast-paced approach that adapts to the class.

SOJC Dean Tim Gleason, who regularly taught large classes in the J-School—including information gathering—knows first-hand the challenges of working in that venue. “Kellee Weinhold is able to challenge and inspire students and at the same time allow them to have fun. She is a wonderful, innovative teacher who is most deserving of the Marshall Award. I am in awe of her ability to hold the attention of 160 students in Allen 221 while lecturing on ‘the gerund’ or ‘government documents.’”

The SOJC is familiar territory for Weinhold, who received her undergraduate degree here, as well as her master’s in Literary Nonfiction. This year, she was more immersed in the SOJC than ever. In addition to teaching, she edited the accreditation self-study, co-edited Flash and supervised five Graduate Teaching Fellows.

Weinhold is also an active writer. Her essay, “When Superman Fell From Grace” earned her a spot as one of 10 finalists in the Oregon Quarterly Northwest Perspectives Essay Contest. Her writing, which often focuses on the realities of gay men’s and lesbians’ interaction with mainstream culture has appeared in a number of newspapers and magazines. Currently, she is working on a series of essays that examine the mainstreaming of gay and lesbian identity.

Before coming to UO, Weinhold spent nearly a decade working in alternative print media. She worked for Eugene Weekly and the Lavender Network and spent three years as the owner and publisher of View Magazine, a state-wide magazine for Oregon’s gay and lesbian community.

Weinhold was selected for the award by a committee of emeritus professors. All teaching faculty in the SOJC are eligible, including tenure-track professors, visiting professors and adjunct faculty. Nominations are based on specific ways in which the nominee has helped students gain new insight, see connections between theory and practice and strengthen professional skills. The annual award carries a $2000 cash prize.

The Marshall Award was established by Jonathan Marshall ’62, and his wife, Maxine. The Marshalls were the owners and publishers of the Scottsdale (Ariz.) Progress for 25 years before establishing a charitable foundation in support of nonprofit organizations.

Previous faculty members to receive the award include John Russial, Deb Merskin, Tom Bivins, Tim Gleason, Bill Ryan, Ann Maxwell, Tom Wheeler, Carl Bybee, Al Stavitsky and Roger Lavery.