Glennis Nagel
co-editor
At winter commencement ceremonies last month, Dr. Don Kaufman was named recipient of the 2007 Leland Holdt/Security Mutual Life Distinguished Faculty Award.
Dr. Kaufman, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, became the 12th UNK faculty member to receive the award since it was established in 1998.
In presenting the award to Dr. Kaufman, Chancellor Doug Kristensen noted that Dr. Kaufman “…has served on the UNK faculty since 1969 with extraordinary distinction.
Through professional excellence, he has impacted the academic development of his students, department and campus like few others in our institution’s history.”
In addition to the Leland Holdt/Security Mutual Life Distinguished Faculty Award, Dr. Kaufman has received all three major campus and system-wide awards for teaching, including the University of Nebraska Outstanding Teaching and Instruction Award, the Pratt-Heins Award for Outstanding Teaching and the Nebraska Board of Trustees Outstanding Teaching Award.
During his career, he has mentored more than 50 undergraduate research students, as well as given numerous presentations of his own research at professional meetings. In the past three years, he has published four refereed journal articles.
Chancellor Kristensen further noted that “Along with his research, his service activities have extensively supported his department, the campus, the university system, secondary education and his discipline—chemistry.”
A former student described Dr. Kaufman, saying:“He started out as my organic chemistry teacher.He quickly became my mentor. Now he is also my friend.He is worldclass. The best. In his more than 45 years of teaching, he has touched thousands of lives—including mine.”
The award, established by Holdt and Security Mutual Life, carries with it a $5,000 stipend.
Recipients must “demonstrate influential intellectual impact on students, have published research or produced creative activity,” and “…demonstrate extraordinary education-related service to students, the campus, the profession, the discipline or the community.”Holdt is a UNK graduate.
