The 2021 Gene A. and Gretchen Budig Award for Excellence in Teaching

This year the Awards Committee chose two recipients for the Gene A. and Gretchen Budig Award for Excellence in Teaching due to the exceptional circumstances of teaching during the pandemic. Both recipients demonstrated excellence in their teaching methods, offered unique mentorship and availability to students during this time, and each contributed substantially to the BSW, MSW, and/or doctoral programs in which their teaching focuses. This year’s Budig Award recipients are Becci Akin and Melinda Lewis.

Dr. Becci Akin draws upon her extensive experience as a practitioner, researcher, and policy advocate to ensure students gain knowledge and competencies for effective social work practice with diverse populations. Her approach to teaching is guided by four principles: relationships, relevance, rigor, and reflection/anti-oppressive lens. Dr. Akin’s contributions to scholarship about social work education, her commitment to undergraduate and graduate advising, and her direction of the School’s doctoral programs provide strong evidence of teaching excellence. Since 2018, she has mentored and co-authored 11 publications with seven students, presented with students 40 times, and served on 22 doctoral committees, of which 11 she served as chair or methodologist. Along with three doctoral students, Dr. Akin’s most recent contributions to scholarship on social work education have included co-authoring manuscripts and presentations focused on applying the strengths perspective and an anti-racist lens in social work education. It is clear that Dr. Akin views students as future stewards of the social work profession and is committed to providing opportunities to support, guide, and promote their development.

Melinda Lewis, a Professor of Practice in the KU School of Social Welfare, brings unremitting enthusiasm to social work education. This enthusiasm, combined with her high expectations, inspire students to engage, learn, and grow. Specifically, Melinda’s courses focus primarily around policy and macro practice provide enriching environments for students with clinical ambitions to develop more holistic perspectives and approaches to social work practice. During the pandemic, Melinda’s strong pivots to teaching have coalesced in her current teaching approach that is more outcome-focused, developmental, and flexible. Her availability to students, facilitated by the incorporation of more online tools and virtual meeting platforms, has improved the quantity and quality of her interactions with learners. Her students’ own words best demonstrate Melinda’s excellence in teaching:

• "I wanted to thank you for your work in facilitating such a great learning experience. Your class was a highlight of the semester for me. Every profession is facing additional challenges during this time and I wanted you to know that your commitment to your work really made a difference and is greatly appreciated.”
• “I've so appreciated your dedication to providing feedback that is in-depth and valuable on all of the assignments in this course. It's made a world of difference for me. Thank you!”
• “Melinda, Just wanted to say a big Thanks for taking the time the other day to talk me through the different things to consider regarding transferring. It made a huge impact on me… You have been such an inspirational teacher, have learned so much from you this past year.”