Three UGA educators were honored with a Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Instruction. Russell Awards acknowledge exceptional teaching by faculty members in the early stages of their academic careers. Award winners receive $10,000. The Richard B. Russell Foundation located in Atlanta is responsible for funding the program.

Harrison Frye
Associate Professor
Department of Political Science
School of Public and International Affairs

Harrison Frye promotes a culture of respectful disagreement among his students.

“I instruct on normative political theory, covering matters regarding how societies should be structured. This includes teaching concepts that often provoke significant disagreement,” he stated.

Frye has outlined three primary objectives for his classes. Firstly, he aims for students to grasp the intricacies of many challenging topics concerning broader societal issues, such as the obligation to obey laws. Secondly, he desires students to appreciate perspectives they may oppose. Thirdly, he encourages them to cultivate their writing skills to produce clear essays that articulate and defend their views effectively, enhancing their overall communication abilities.

To achieve these objectives, Frye employs various strategies, including regular writing tasks. He minimizes traditional lecturing, instead preferring a Socratic method, where he prompts students with questions about the subject matter being discussed, enabling them to articulate and navigate complex concepts in their own terms. He also incorporates collaborative group work. For instance, in his course on moral progress, he involves students in a project lasting the entire semester, where they identify a moral dilemma in their local area and devise a solution.

Frye has instructed 13 undergraduate courses at UGA. One notable course he created provides an overview of the ethical dilemmas associated with the market as a mechanism for organizing economic existence and the state’s role in overseeing both the market and businesses.

“The strength of Dr. Frye’s teaching method lies in his capability to link political theory, a daunting and abstract subject for numerous political science students, to practical applications,” commented a former student.

This method has already garnered Frye the SPIA Excellence in Teaching Award.

“He is an exemplary teacher who promotes learning through structured reasoning and logic — an impactful technique that his students will carry with them throughout their lives,” noted a colleague.

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Glenna Read
Associate Professor
Department of Advertising and Public Relations
Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication

Glenna Read aspires to positively influence her students’ academic and career achievements.

“My educational philosophy centers around my students, aiming to create engaging, innovative, and academically rigorous experiences that empower undergraduates to fulfill their educational and professional aspirations,” she explained. “This philosophy ensures that my responsibility never concludes; I am constantly seeking to innovate and enhance the academic achievements of undergraduate students.”

One course Read persistently seeks to improve is Media Strategy and Activation. This course is designed to guide students through developing a media plan, exposing them to a facet of advertising they might not have been aware of before. 

She first revamped the course during the Center for Teaching and Learning’s Active Learning Summer Institute in 2021. In subsequent revisions, she gamified the media ratings calculations, prompting students to compete in solving problems using essential formulas. 

“Dr. Glenna Read exemplifies the traits of a remarkable educator — expertise, commitment, and sincere concern for her students’ development and success,” a former student remarked. “Her influence on her students transcends the classroom, leaving an enduring impact that shapes their academic and career pathways.”

Read has co-authored research and presented findings with undergraduate students. Moreover, she is a CURO mentor for numerous students, encouraging undergraduate research initiatives.

Read is also the founder and director of the college’s Brain, Body, and Media (BBAM) Lab. This facility promotes research, often led by undergraduate students under Read’s guidance, which investigates psychophysiological reactions to various media and messages. In the lab, researchers can utilize sensors to monitor how individuals respond to audio and visual stimuli.

“She goes above and beyond to guarantee that her courses deliver the most effective and engaging educational experiences possible for undergraduate students,” a colleague commented. 

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Alexander Strauss
Assistant Professor
Odum School of Ecology

Alexander Strauss aims to equip his students for the environmental challenges they will face in the future.

“I am confident that I am playing a role in training the next generation of diverse scientists,” he asserted. “I am dedicated to performing my responsibilities to the best of my abilities, both in the classroom and as a program leader and mentor for undergraduate research.”

Strauss adopts an active learning methodology in his instructional practice. He has taught and restructured three out of the four foundational courses required for ecology majors.

A prime example is Strauss’ signature course, Population and Community Ecology. He has introduced a partially flipped classroom format with scaffolding problem sets aimed at enhancing computer coding and data analysis abilities, utilized the “jigsaw” method for paper discussions, and provided individual whiteboards for students to derive equations and draw graphs during in-class endeavors, among other interactive learning strategies. He has also crafted a laboratory component for this course that grants students additional experience in gathering, analyzing, and interpreting ecological data. 

Strauss has extensively redesigned his Freshwater Ecosystems course and laboratory by integrating a three-week wet lab and data analysis training module, and by substituting conventional exams with synthesis writing evaluations. Additionally, he has introduced laboratory and data analysis learning components into his Population Biology of Infectious Disease course.

These efforts are among the reasons Strauss was honored as a Lilly Teaching Fellow and received an Outstanding Teaching Faculty Award from the Odum School of Ecology.

“Dr. Strauss evidently prioritizes the welfare of his students, and his enthusiasm for the subject was equally apparent. He excelled in demonstrating how our studies relate to numerous aspects of ecology and even our daily lives,” noted a former student.

Strauss’ commitment to mentoring outside the classroom is equally evident. In the four years since his arrival at UGA, 10 of his undergraduate mentees have received CURO research awards.

“It is clear that Dr. Strauss holds teaching and nurturing students in high regard, fostering a sense of mutual respect between himself and his students in both his research lab and classes,” commented a colleague.

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