Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching

The Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching honors faculty members for superior teaching. Recipients are nominated by present and former students and colleagues and are chosen by a committee of alumni, students, and faculty. They receive a cash award of $3000, made possible by contributions from the Alumni Association, friends of Ohio State, and the Office of Academic Affairs. They also receive a $1,200 increase in their base salaries from the Office of Academic Affairs. The recipients will be inducted into the university's Academy of Teaching, which provides leadership for the improvement of teaching at Ohio State.

Bruce Hermann
Assistant Professor
Department of Theatre

According to one nominator, being in the classroom of Bruce Hermann “is like engaging with a living textbook, his knowledge and experience providing students with much more than a printed text ever could.” A student of Hermann noted he pushes students to their highest potential through his kindness and dedication. In everything he does, from his multi-dimensional classroom teaching to working individually with his undergraduate and graduate advisees, Hermann’s complete commitment to his students’ success sets him apart from other instructors. Another important aspect of Hermann’s teaching has been his involvement in developing a new curriculum for the MFA in acting. Additionally, Hermann serves as a role model for his students, as his creative research is his active participation as an actor and director at both local and national levels. His unique performance and teaching style comes from his experience studying with one of this country’s acknowledged master teachers of acting, Sanford Meisner. The innovative Meisner technique uses a series of exercises to create an atmosphere conducive to each actor’s personal development, rather than teaching the students “how” to act. Hermann received his M.F.A. in directing from Virginia Commonwealth University and joined the Ohio State faculty in 1998.