Matthew Stenzel has been awarded the Robert A. Barnes Award for Exemplary Teaching 2021. This teaching excellence award is presented annually to one tenured faculty member at Ohio State Newark who “has established a record of excellent teaching at the Newark campus for at least ten years.” The award is named after Robert A. Barnes, the first full-time director of Ohio State Newark.

Candidates for this award are nominated via a ballot distributed to all full-time Ohio State Newark faculty, and the recipient is selected in a competitive process by a prize committee. The winner of the Robert A. Barnes award may choose from several prize options and is recognized by the Dean and Director of Ohio State Newark.

Dr. Stenzel’s instruction regularly receives excellent evaluations and high praise from students who wrote strong letters of support. The award citation features quotes from student letters expressing appreciation for Dr. Stenzel’s helpful and caring approach to teaching. The award citation further highlights the great enthusiasm that Dr. Stenzel generates among his students even in mandatory and remedial courses which he has been teaching exclusively.