ACTR Excellence in Teaching Russian Award for Graduate Student Instructors


2025 ACTR Excellence in Teaching Russian Award for Post-Secondary Instructors Recipient: Mollie Messick

Mollie Messick is the recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Russian Award at the post-secondary level. She teaches at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Click here to learn more about Mollie.

The nomination period for 2024-2025 is now closed.

This award offers national recognition to a graduate teaching assistant who demonstrates effective and innovative teaching practices and the ability to serve as an influential advocate for teaching Russian on a regional and/or national basis.

To apply

 The 2024-2025 Selection Committee
 Susan Kresin, UCLA (Chair) 
 Evgeny Dengub, USC
 Irina Dubinina, Brandeis University
 Aselle Almuratova, University of Wisconsin-Madison
 Kit Pribble, Wake Forest University
 Alexandra Shapiro, University of Georgia

For questions, email Susan Kresin at kresin at humnet.ucla.edu

Eligibility
  • The award is open to full-time graduate students (MA or PhD, including ABD) who teach or have taught within the past two years either as instructor of record or lead instructor in their graduate programs, or part-time as adjuncts at another post-secondary institution. ABDs with a full-time teaching appointment are not eligible. 
  • Nominees must be current graduate students who have taught the Russian language for at least 2 semesters total or the equivalent (for example, a summer intensive program covering the curriculum of two semesters). The semesters do not have to be consecutive, and the current semester can count toward the minimum of two. Graduate students who teach or have taught only content courses in English are not eligible.
  • At least one faculty member of the department or program must be a current member of ACTR. The nominator who submits the nomination letter does not have to be an ACTR member.
  • Only two nominations will be accepted from each institution.
Nomination Process

The nomination packet should include the following:

From the nominator
Please submit a nomination letter in which you show how the candidate demonstrates excellence in teaching and inspires students in their study of Russian language and culture. Include the candidate’s full name and year of entrance into the MA or PhD program. You may wish to address the following factors:
  • The nominee’s dedication to students’ linguistic and cultural development;
  • The nominee’s commitment to professional growth, including participation in pedagogical workshops, conferences, programs, etc., and contributions or potential to contribute to the field of Russian language pedagogy;
  • The nominee’s innovations in teaching, including the development of teaching materials (traditional or digital);
  • The nominee’s efforts to promote Russian language and culture through organizing and participating in extracurricular activities or other outreach work;
  • The nominee’s commitment to fostering students’ understanding of cultural and linguistic diversity of the Russophone world, creating an inclusive classroom environment, and practicing equitable pedagogical approaches.
From the nominee
Please submit an application form which includes
​1. a teaching statement (2-4 pages) in which you explain what makes you an excellent teacher. You may wish to address some of the following factors:
  • teaching innovations
  • materials and courses developed independently or in collaboration
  • development of inclusive classroom practices and curricular materials
  • undergraduate mentorship and/or community building at your institution
  • promotion of interest in Russian language studies and the Russian speaking world
  • contributions to the field of Russian language teaching
  • anything else that distinguishes you as an excellent teacher of Russian
​2. ​​CV, focusing on teaching activities (maximum 2 pages)
 3. A one-page annotation of an effective language learning activity that you developed independently
Timeline
  • Nominations (from the nominator) must be submitted electronically by November 1st. 
  • The nominee's materials (CV, teaching statement and description of a teaching activity) must be submitted electronically by December 1st. 
  • Finalists will be notified by January 15th.
  • Awardees will be announced at the ACTR general membership meeting in February and recognized in the ACTR Newsletter.
  • All materials for this award must be submitted electronically through the ACTR website.

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