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Wednesday, November 9, 1977
University Daily Kansan
A closer look at HOPE contenders
American politics are big part of Cigler's life
Staff Writer
By STEVEN STINGLEY
Staff Writer
Two things stand out about Allan Cigler, associate professor of political science: His research on the Internet has profound impact.
It is apparent that University of Kansas seniors think he is a skilled teacher because he has been a finalist for the HOPE Award for the past three years. The HOPE Award is the highest distinction KU students can give an instructor.
And it was apparent that the 34-year-old professor is modest about his success when he spoke about his teaching philosophy in his Blake Hall office last Friday.
Giger said it was the nature of the material taught that made students in high school feel so confident.
"The student is intrinsically interested in
Cigler admitted that he had no specific teaching philosophy.
the subject matter I teach," he said. "All I have to do is not kill that interest."
'I say, 'Here's the material. It's important.' And then let it carry its own weight.
"When you teach a subject like that it becomes a big part of your life," he said.
Cigler appears to be enthusiastic about the study of American politics, his specialty. And he is also a philosopher.
HOWEVER, CIGLER said it was important for an instructor to be enthusiastic about the material. A student will sense a student's enthusiasm and be affected by it, he said.
Cigler teaches mostly undergraduate courses in American political behavior and policy.
Burns mixes humor, critical thought in class
Tall and slender, with a boyish皮 quick with his words, Burns is an unlikely successor to the teachings of Adam Smith and Maynard Keynes.
Staff Writer
Burns, an assistant professor of economics, completed his graduate work after coming to the University of Kansas in 1976 and working as an executive semesters of principles of economics and several upper level courses. He now finds himself a HOPE Award recipient.
"I was surprised at first," he said. "I'm pretty tough in class, and a lot of students drop, so I really hadn't thought about the matter much. It's nice to be nontounded though."
Malcolm Burns' appearance is only the first surprise. His candor is the second.
"If a student doesn't learn anything else in college, he should at least learn to think critically," he said. "to me, teaching is giving students the tools with which to solve problems, and then challenging them with questions, then been by finding the answer themselves."
ALTHOUGH HE teaches economics, he considers it just as important that students develop the ability to think critically and analytically, he said. Burns' teaching methods include a lot of problem solving by students, both on assignments and exams.
Bv WALT BRAUN
To offset the challenging material, much of which is abstract economic theory, Burns said he and his assistants made themselves as available as possible to students.
"I'm in my office a lot, explaining lecture or other class material, or sometimes just listening to music."
GRADING 125 OR more exams at one time is about the only drawback to teaching, Burns said. Yet he said he thought his tests were made of a student than multiple choice exams.
"I don't do nearly as much of the grading as I used to," he said. "Sometimes it took more than eight hours and got me in some awful moods. I'd rather have to grade those exams or not teach at all than give out simple-minded material."
Burns said he thought his research and
When he is not teaching or talking economics, Burns is doing research. Recently, his first piece of research was *The Journal of Political Economy*.
teaching complemented each other well. He was tired each of them full time for about a week.
"Research helps you keep up with your field and improves on your skills," he said. "We've got to do more."
*TEACHING, ON the other hand, gets you away from the introspective demands of classes.*
Burns graduated from Haverford College in Philadelphia in 1968 and did most of his graduate work at the University of Minnesota, then to KU after one year in Washington, D.C.
What has impressed him most since he joined the economics faculty at KU was the
A native of Pennsylvania, Cigler is a graduate of Theil College in Greenwich, Pa. He received his master's degree from the University of Maryland and his doctorate from the University of Indiana before coming to KU in 1970 to begin teaching.
number of fine students and good young teachers in the economics department, he
Cigler said that teaching was rewarding in a personal way and in an altruistic way.
Something else that makes teaching fun for Burns is the lecture he gives his principles class during its final session. The mood and material are light, he said, and range from cracks about the economy to tips on how to make a quick buck.
"It's fun to prepare and fun to give," he said. "I think of it as a reward to those who have helped."
Burns, who is 30 years old, said he didn't know what the future holds.
"One thing I don't want to do is work for the government," he said.
Burns said he knew when he was about 18
burns old that he would teach college
classes. He didn't find out until he was at
eight. College that he would teach
economics.
"My first two choices were architecture
engineering" he said. "Economics
filled us."
"I wouldn't mind consulting with them, but I'd rather teach," he said. "I can come to work in the morning to teach or do my homework and return when I want to work some more."
Burns said the 9 to 5 life of a civil servant didn't appeal to him. Neither, he said, do most of the government's economic programs.
"It was about the only required course that sounded good. But the further I went in, it became more difficult."
"I'm naive enough to believe that what I do is helping people's lives," he said. "I like to think that I'm making a useful contribution."
Balfour values student opinion, sees as useful
He said his lectures were conversational, yet structured. The important thing, he said, is t. help the student make sense of the complexities of the world around him.
"TLL STAND ON my head to get it across." he said.
BUT HE SAID that one particular part of teaching bothered him.
made a significant difference and had allowed students to request special
Balfour said he thought the most significant change he had seen in his years at KU was the adoption of a policy that required students to present a presentation on all policy-making committees.
"I largely think that my enthusiasm about my subject is what keeps students interested," he said. "Also, I try to stimulate enthusiasm in my students."
The course's material and the communication of that material is Gigler's.
personality to a communicative
procedure."he said."And it works."
although he thinks his teaching methods are fairly traditional.
Staff Writer
Although he feels that a lot of administrators wouldn't agree with him, William Balfour, professor of physiology and cell biology, thinks that students are adults with responsible opinions, and these onions can be very useful.
Along with his teaching, Cigler constantly is involved in research. He is now working on his first book, which will be about the psychology of media to the American political system.
"I'm haunted by the fact that I'm not really sure if I've helped a student. There is a difference between a student liking my class and getting something out of my class."
Rv LINDA STEWART
He said that student representation had
Ballour, who has been a teacher at KU for years, said all teachers should be in favor of them.
"I love them all," he said, referring to KU students.
Ballifour卸职 the KU faculty in 1957 as an assistant professor in the School of Medicine. He served as acting chairman of the department of comparative biochemistry and physiology and was director of Pearson College in 1967. He was vice chancellor for student affairs from 1980 to 1976. Last summer he became KU's first president, and he was asked to attempt to resolve complaints of students and faculty and to recommend procedural changes within the University to alleviate those complaints.
BALFOUR SAID his years at Kansas had convinced him that KU was an excellent team.
ALTHOUGH STUDENTS are not currently represented on most KU committees concerning promotion and tenure of faculty members, Balfour said that he would like to see students allowed on these committees.
Cigler said that research was vital to his teaching.
"When the class was smaller I used to have students measure the growth of their fingernails and hair over the period of one semester," he said.
He said today's students were different from students of the past in that they were more job-oriented and serious about their educations.
Balfour said his position as ombudsman had been very satisfying but that there were concerns.
He has adopted a learning should be fun attitude and uses visual aids and practical techniques.
NOW THAT HIS class has over 200
teacher-pupil relationships such as
these are much harder to condi-
ture.
Having an informal class structure is more preferable than a formal one.
Balfour has taught human physiology at KU since 1961 and he said he thought his enthusiasm for the subject was what kept students interested in his class.
He said he had found students to be very helpful and informative on all the com-
munities.
"The problems students come to me with sometimes get sticky," he said. "And of all the problems I have, this one is the best."
He said that more students came to him than faculty members, which he thought was due to the larger number of students and the fact that there are clearer procedures for taking care of faculty members' problems.
HE SAID his ambassador position has allowed him to avoid some of the less exotic options. He said he student affairs, such as struggling with budgets, but the two jobs were somewhat related in that his ambassador duties are an extension of many things he did as vice president.
1 "wouldn't be as competent or as ef-
fessional as a teacher if I wasn't involved with research."
One of his greatest joys in teaching, Gigler said, is when a student comes to him personally and conveys that he, as a teacher, should be able to that student's growth and development.
He also said that it worked the other way around — that research was aided by the help of people.
When not teaching or discussing problems with students, Balfour said he enjoyed going to the school. "It's really great," he said.
"I've always enjoyed the diversity of activities at KU. He said, 'I also enjoy the diversity of people and the experiences.'"
"What I've done over the years is to fit my
"It forces me to rethink my research and to put it all together to tell others," he said.
"I don't view myself as a teacher, but as a professor in the broader sense of the word."
McNish not regretful about leaving practice
By KARYN GIBSON
Staff Writer
J. Hammond McNish, adjunct professor of business, said he made a mistake a few years ago when he told a reporter he taught by the Socratic method.
I have no training in teaching, and I find
that I don't know the best way to teach
them.
"It's not Socratic, with the constant questioning and probing, but more discussion and student participation in the material."
McNish has been a HOPE award finalist every year since 1973. He has taught business and commercial law at the University of Kansas since 1970, when he left a 22-year law practice in rural Nebraska.
"Teaching is less time-consuming than my two-man practice was," McNish said. "I had begun to lose my enthusiasm for new cases.
"But by teaching law courses, I can be involved in law without having all the knowledge I would need."
KU wrote McNish in 1946, while he was a research assistant at the University of Nebraska law school, and offered him a teaching job in business law.
"In a course like business law, where the students participate in the discovery of
HE TAUGHT HERE until 1948, when he set up practice in his home town, Sidney.
McNish returned to KU after he inquired about teaching positions in the School of Business and was again offered the chance to teach business law.
His three law sections contain about 186 students this semester. McNish said one reason he had been nominated for the award was that he would be to a large number of students each year.
Another reason for his nomination was the subject matter itself, he said.
Business law is required for business majors.
Jugenheimer uses sweet rewards to spice up classes
"If the job at KU had not been open, I would probably still be practicing law in Nebraska. I fell in love with KU when I was there and went to 1948 and have been a Jawhawk since then."
Bv DAVE TOPLIKAR
He also is an ex-officio member of the University of Kansas Athletic Corporation (KUAC). He said he spent about one day a week as a part-time student away from home on athletic business.
Throwing candy to students who correctly answer questions is one of the ways Donald Jugehemer, associate professor of marketing, keeps his advertising classes interesting.
He said many of his classes had between 50 and 50 students and did not lend them
Jugenehheimer said his teaching style varied with the class size, response of the students and what he is trying to accomplish on a particular day.
ATHLETIC TOPS his list of other interests, and his classes get a five-minute sports warm-up before most class periods begin.
"I came for a change and to have time to spend on my other interests."
As KU faculty representative to the Big Eight Conference, McNish has official duties to go along with his enthusiasm for sports.
Staff Writer
"I didn't come to KU to get out of work, because teaching, especially grading essay writing, was my job."
"I've had to develop for lecture, he said. "But if all you are going to do is lecture, then you might as well just type the material, and let the people go home and memorize it."
"I try to spice up the lectures with a little humor and some insights," he said before.
MNeish also said there was less anxiety in teaching than there had been in handling the lesson.
It did not give him more authority on the subject, he said, but improved his comprehension so that he could convey various aspects of law to his students.
In addition, McNish has a small manufacturing business in Nebraska. However, he said the great majority of his time went to student-related work.
As adjunct professor — a teaching position for someone with experience in the field — McNish is not required to write or do research.
knowledge, it becomes more real to them;
he said. "They find practical application in
research."
"We don't seem to have that kind of a cause around any more." he said. "The
He said students then were dissatisfied with society in general, and more concerned about things going on off the campus and United States than in their lives as students.
Jugenheimer said he tried to put theory
Because he practiced commercial law, McNish said he was able to give examples of law application from personal knowledge of Nebraska cases.
Jugenehiem said today's student was much more career-oriented than students were when he began teaching at the University of Kansas in the fall of 1971.
HE SAID HIS law experience was helpful in his own understanding of the subject but was not necessary for teaching either law course.
"TOO MANY CLASSES concentrate on learning item knowledge and regurgitating it," he said. "I think it's more important for students to learn how to think, solve problems and to work independently. No one will ask them for what they know from what they memorized from a book, but rather for what they can do, for what they can produce."
in practice with interesting situations to
illustrate the material and to tie the body of
the student to its own learning.
See JUGENHEIMER page 11
students seem to be more local in their interests, they seem to have returned to the things that were more common in the mid '60s."
THIS MAKES IT more helpful for professors to communicate knowledge, he
"Here there are so many good teachers that a person who might be doing a good job on a school is not a good job at the School of Journalism," he said. "The competition is tough here and that makes you a better teacher because it makes you an excellent teacher. It spits you onward if you're interested in it."
Jugheimer said he thought it was easier to be a good teacher at the University of Toronto, but not at the school of Journalism at KU. He said he thought KU had the best faculty of any university.
In 1973 and 1976, McNish won the Henry Bubb Award as outstanding faculty member in the School of Business. The $1,000 tax-free award is based on student selection and a special curriculum survey taken for the award, he said.
"THE HOFE nomination itself is an honor," McNish said. "It's nice to know that enough students thought to place my name in need at enrollment to get me nominated.
"I KNOW a lot of students and have many who have come back to talk to me. Some are still here at KU in law school."
"It's not exceptionally easy for me to learn the names of all my students, but I do it because I see them almost every day and it gets them more involved when a teacher knows who they are," he said.
"I'm fortunate in that I teach something that people generally find interesting. I guess I just get satisfaction in seeing comprehension of the subject matter."