Remarks from Scott Coltrane, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences May 26, 2010:
It is my great pleasure today to present The Wayne T. Westling Award for University Leadership and Service to John Nicols, Professor of History.
The Westling Award was established by the University Senate in 2001 to honor faculty or staff who have provided long-term leadership and service to the university community. Many of you knew Professor Wayne Westling, in whose honor this award was named. Professor Westling set the standard of exemplary scholar, teacher and university citizen. In giving this award we acknowledge and remember the remarkable contributions that Wayne Westling made to the University of Oregon and are grateful for the other dedicated faculty who have followed in his footsteps.
John joined the University of Oregon’s History Department in 1980 as an associate professor and has contributed greatly to university life during the past thirty years. In addition to being an accomplished scholar, teacher and citizen here at the University of Oregon, he has been a visiting professor at the Universities of Munich, Heidelberg, Cologne and Münster. John has been the recipient of numerous fellowships and research grants from prestigious professional organizations, including the German Academic Exchange Service, the Fulbright Commission, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
During the past two years I have come to know John through his service as both Director of the College Scholars Program and as Head of the Humanities Program within the College of Arts and Sciences. His contributions to each have been phenomenal. John has devoted himself to the success of these two programs with enormous efforts on behalf of students and countless hours working with faculty, administrators and donors. John’s hard work and dedication has paid off in a dramatic increase in the number of College Scholars and the number of Humanities majors. Students rave about how these programs have enriched their intellectual lives and awakened them to scholarly inquiry.
John’s service contributions to the university have been long running and truly extraordinary. Joe Stone, former Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences was one of several faculty who nominated John for this award. In his nomination letter Joe stated “John’s service to our campus is exemplary and represents the highest ideals of the Wayne Westling Award. In my 30 years on our campus, I can think of no member of our faculty whose service has reached across the campus as broadly and profoundly as John’s.”
I fully agree. The following partial list enumerates John’s service to his department, to the College of Arts and Sciences, and to the University:
* Director, College of Arts and Sciences Society of Scholars, 2006- 10
* Director, Humanities Program and Independent Study Program, 1991 –present
* University representative to Inter-institutional Faculty Senate ,through 2008
* University Classroom Committee 2002- 2005; 2007; 2010
* University’s Distinguished Scholarship Committee 2010
* University Committee on Courses, 2003-5
* Undergraduate Council, Member and then Chair: 1999-2003
* UO Committee on Courses, through spring 2006
* Department Head, Classics 1991- 98
* CAS Curriculum Committee, Member then Chair, 1997-2000
* Academic Requirements Committee, Chair, 1994-96
* Senate Budget Committee, Member then Chair, 1996-99
* Faculty Advisory Committee, Member then Chair, 1996-98
Throughout his distinguished career, John Nicols has consistently volunteered to take on additional duties both in teaching and service. For example, though a full time member of the History Department, Professor Nicols served for eight years as head of the Classics Department. John has also been recognized for his outstanding teaching. His most recent teaching awards includes:
* 2009: Williams Foundation Award for notable contributions to undergraduate education
* 2009: The Lorry Lokey Foundation Award for contributions to digital media (shared with Professor Gregory Bothun, Physics)
It is therefore with great pleasure and deep appreciation, that on behalf of the University of Oregon Senate, I present John Nicols with this year’s Wayne T. Westling Award for University Leadership and Service.