Thursday, November 18, 2004

Nov. 18, 2004

Wilmington, N.C. – Carole Tallant, professor of communication studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, has been selected as the 2004 Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching North Carolina Professor of the Year. This distinction will be announced along with other state winners and four national winners at a luncheon and reception Thursday, Nov. 18 in Washington, D.C.

Tallant joined UNCW’s faculty in 1980 as a lecturer in the Department of Creative Arts. Since then, she has “extended her influence on students far beyond UNCW’s classrooms into public schools and other institutions throughout the region,” wrote then Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Jo Ann Seiple in her letter of nomination. “It is no exaggeration to state that she has reached out to thousands of students annually, both on and off the campus.”

Tallant’s area of teaching and scholarly expertise is storytelling and performance of literature. “In an age in which increasing numbers of students have turned away from reading literature in favor of indulging in more action-oriented, visually stimulating forms of entertainment, Dr. Tallant and her students have brought literature to life for their listeners, motivating them to discover for themselves the pleasures and rewards of reading. Through her storytelling courses, Dr. Tallant was among the first on our campus to integrate service learning into the curriculum, making outreach to the community an integral part of her students’ education,” Seiple noted.

Seiple singled out as examples of a commitment to teaching Tallant’s repeated requests to teach unpaid overloads each semester, her eagerness to direct independent study projects for her students, her creation of new courses and new learning experiences in existing courses and her ever-expanding outreach to all ages in all kinds of settings.

Tallant’s department chair, Frank Trimble, wrote of her “effervescent and empathic personality,” and how she makes the most of every moment to share her knowledge and learn from her students. Calling her “detail-oriented and rigorous,” he singled out Tallant’s ability to urge the best from her students as scholars, performers, and campus/community citizens as setting her apart from other fine instructors.

A native of Richmond, Va., Tallant earned the Ph.D. in oral interpretation of literature from Louisiana State University in 1980, and the master’s (1976) and bachelor’s (1974) in oral interpretation of literature and theatre arts from UNC-Chapel Hill. She is married to James Tallant, and they have a son Ryan.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education administers the Professor of the Year program which is designed to salute the most outstanding undergraduate instructors in the country. It is one of the most prestigious awards honoring professors.