German professor wins teaching award

By Amanda Blas, Staff Writer blas13@up.edu

German professor Laura McLary is now a part of the COFLT (Confederation in Oregon for Foreign Languages Teaching) Honor Roll, after winning the award for Outstanding Teaching in Foreign Language at the college or university level.

"I am deeply grateful to be recognized," McLary said. "I feel that having access to a culture through language is key to the study of any culture, and being conversant in another language expands your entire sense of the rest of the world. Getting the award is some sort of confirmation of those things that I really believe about German and about the study of language."

McLary first began teaching German while attending graduate school at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she also received her doctorate. After receiving her doctorate in Germanic languages and literature in 1996, she took on her first full-time teaching job as an assistant professor of German at University of Mississippi. In 1999, she joined the University of Portland's foreign language department as a German professor.

McLary said she knew she wanted to work at UP when she saw there was an open position.

"Before I even applied for the job, I saw the job ad and thought, 'I think this is the job for me,'" McLary said.

Since then, McLary has helped expand UP's German studies.

"When I arrived in 1999, we only had a German minor and a certificate, which is a hybrid between a minor and a major," McLary said. "It was all still an undefined thing. We just didn't have enough students at the time to support a major."

As campus grew, McLary helped to develop the German studies major, which was officially introduced in 2004.

Hill credits McLary with most of the program's success.

"It was a lot of her hard work that helped the German studies program to grow to what it is today," Hill said.

McLary also plays a role in students' success with Fulbright scholarships and other programs in Austria, working with students on their applications and other necessary preparations.

In addition to receiving the COFLT honor, McLary also received UP's Teaching Award this past May, recognizing her ability to effectively enhance student learning and her commitment to student learning, motivation and development.

For McLary's colleagues, her awards were well deserved.

"Nobody who has seen Laura teach is surprised she got the award," fellow German professor Alexandra Hill said. "She got the award because it's so well deserved."

For her students, it is no surprise that she received these awards.

"She relates to her students so well," junior Catherine Kendrick said. "It's because of that that she's able to keep her students so interested in classes."

Senior Erin Burns agrees that it is McLary's relationship with her students that make her a great professor.

"She has so many students, yet she's still able to point out each student and understands their strengths and weaknesses," Burns said.

McLary will receive her award Oct. 12 at an awards reception that will take place at the annual COFLT conference in Vancouver Wash.

McLary is the second recipient of the award from UP. Spanish professor Kate Regan recieved the award in 2010.