Nominations for papers and queries may be addressed to Prof. Betsy Decyk, Executive Director, American Association of Philosophy Teachers, California State University at Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90840-2408, bdecyk@csulb.edu.
The American Association of Philosophy Teachers has selected David W. Concepción, of Ball State University, as the 2006 recipient of the Mark Lenssen Prize for publishing on the teaching of philosophy. The prize is awarded to the author of the best paper published in the previous biennium (2004-2006). Prof. Concepción’s article, "Reading Philosophy with Background Knowledge and Metacognition," Was published in Teaching Philosophy, 27:4, 351-368.
The American Association of Philosophy Teachers has selected James Campbell of the University of Toledo as the 2004 recipient of the Mark Lenssen Prize for publishing on the teaching of philosophy. The prize is awarded to the author of the best paper published in the previous biennium (2002-2004). Prof. Campbell’s article, "The Ambivalence toward Teaching in the Early Years of the American Philosophical Association," ws published in Teaching Philosophy 25:1, March 2002.
The American Association of Philosophy Teachers has selected Deborah Barnbaum of Kent State University as first recipient of the Mark Lenssen Prize for publishing on the teaching of philosophy. The prize is awarded to the author of the best paper published in the previous biennium (2000-2002). Prof. Barnbaum’s article, “Teaching Empathy in Medical Ethics: The Use of Lottery Assignments,” was published in Teaching Philosophy, 24:1, March 2001. The award was made at AAPT’s biennial conference, at Thomas More College, Crestview Hills, KY, August 2002. Selection committee members were James Campbell, Daryl Close, and Sara Goering.
Mark Lenssen received his undergraduate education at Pomona College, followed by graduate study at Northwestern University. He taught philosophy at Ohio Northern University from 1978 - when he arrived as an instructor - until his death. He was promoted to professor in 1992, and in 1993 he took over as chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion. At his death, he was also Head of the Humanities Division and (in his spare time) the men’s tennis coach. Mark’s philosophic focus was the broad field of ethics - important figures in the history of ethics, as well as professional and environmental ethics - and he was so highly regarded as a teacher on the ONU campus that he was posthumously elected teacher of the year in 1999. Among his other professional activities, Mark was a tireless worker for AAPT. He served for many years as the co-editor of AAPT News, working to make writing about the teaching of philosophy better and more available.
The American Association of Philosophy Teachers has announced several recipients of their Award of Merit for Outstanding Leadership and Achievements in the Teaching of Philosophy. The 2002 Awardees are Myles Brand, James Friel, Nancy Hancock, Eugene Kelly, and Richard Schacht. The awards were presented at AAPT’s biennial conference, at Thomas More College, Crestview Hills, KY, August 2002.
Previous awardees include Martin Benjamin, Terry Bynum, James Campbell, Daryl Close, Betsy Decyk, Michael Hooker, Tziporah Kasachkoff, John Ladd, Rosalind Ladd, Matthew Lipman, Robert Solomon, Robert Timko, William Whisner, and Arnold Wilson.