James Blasingame, a former high school English teacher who pursued his doctorate degree after nearly 20 years of K-12 teaching, was chosen out of 30 professors who were nominated this year by their colleagues, students and staff. An English education professor with ASU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences since 2000, Blasingame inspires the future English teachers of America with his enthusiastic spirit and his emphasis on community outreach. Since much of his teaching is about adolescent literature, he and his students partner with local school districts to improve literacy and writing skills among middle and high school students.

“Though he would be too humble to make this claim for himself, no one meets the criteria for this award quite as fully as Professor Blasingame," says Richard Newhauser, an English department colleague of Blasingame's who nominated him for the Professor of the Year award. "His dedication as a teacher and a scholar to undergraduate education is unsurpassed. The productiveness of his research makes him one of the leading voices in his field of English education and the study of young adult literature."

In addition to our 2008 Professor of the Year, six other nominees were awarded special recognition for their exceptional dedication and service to ASU:

Jess Alberts Communications

Ed Garnero Geology

Ian Gould Chemistry & Biochemistry

Glenn Hurlbert Mathematics & Statistics

Douglas Kenrick Psychology

F. Miguel Valenti Film & Theatre

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Have a professor in mind for next year? Receive an e-mail alert for next year's nominations by providing your e-mail address here.

For further information or questions, please contact Robin Okun Hengl at 480.965.0830 or Robin.Hengl@asu.edu.