CxC’s Celebrate a Teacher Initiative offers a student perspective on exceptional teaching at LSU

Every Fall, CxC launches its annual Celebrate a Teacher initiative with one straightforward question: "Is one of your professors doing an exceptional job communicating and connecting with you this semester? If so, take 2 minutes to share their name so we can celebrate them!"

This year's submission period ran from November 10 to 20, drawing 555 responses recognizing 333 faculty members across all undergraduate colleges. Students could add an optional note explaining their choice—and more than 61% did, offering specific moments and reasons that made these teachers stand out.

Since launching in Fall 2020, Celebrate a Teacher has revealed what students value most: teachers who communicate clearly and consistently, who make difficult material click, and who bring subjects to life. Students spotlight educators who learn their names, draw them into discussion, and see them as people. Seeing ways teachers facilitate student learning—through responsive communication, extended office hours, and ample learning resources—was highly valued. Many responses also emphasize lasting impact—professors who guided career decisions, shaped graduate school paths, or opened doors to new opportunities. The thread connecting every submission: students want to learn, and they’re encouraged by teachers who are committed to their success, in and outside the classroom.

Here is a brief selection from the 339 comments students shared about their professors:

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College of Agriculture

Garrett Hopper, Renewable Natural Resources
"Professor Hopper treats students like people and demonstrates kindness and patience while teaching others." —College of Agriculture student

Mike Kaller, Renewable Natural Resources
"He's the only reason I somewhat know what I'm doing at LSU." —College of Agriculture student

Deborah Welker, Textiles, Apparel Design & Merchandising
"Ms. Welker takes the time to seriously connect with her students. She asks us about our interests and remembers important things in our lives. Anyone is lucky to have her as a professor, and I look forward to her class each week." —College of Agriculture student

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College of Art & Design

Brian Goad, Landscape Architecture
"Thank you for helping me fall in love with Landscape! Being new to the major, I was nervous I would feel out of place and fall behind but you always encouraged me to excel. Thank you for inspiring me to find my purpose!" —College of Art & Design student

Jessica Hogan, Digital Art
"This professor has been outstanding in any way she can by providing my class with tools and knowledge that prove beneficial to my future career. She is well spoken and understanding, along with teaching exactly what you need to know to understand her classes and accommodates for all students. She is truly one of the best professors I have ever had." —College of Art & Design student

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E.J. Ourso College of Business

Scott Abrahams, Economics
"I have honestly never been more engaged in a class than with Professor Abrahams. His lessons are very creative and hands-on. It is very impressive when he has a morning class of over 150 students that are extremely quiet. His teaching makes economics easier to tackle and something to look forward to. Thank you, Professor Abrahams!" —E.J. Ourso College of Business student

Aaron Gleiberman, Marketing
"Professor Gleiberman consistently goes above and beyond for his students. He’s attentive, encouraging, and his lectures are always both informative and engaging. I’ve learned so much in his class, and he truly goes the extra mile to help us succeed. He also pushes us to grow beyond the classroom by encouraging participation in marketing events that strengthen our careers and enrich our résumés. He’s genuinely one of the best professors I’ve had at LSU." —E.J. Ourso College of Business student

Andrew MacKinlay, Finance
"He genuinely cares about his students and truly wants us to succeed. He works hard to make sure we understand the material before moving on, and I appreciate how he uses quizzes to see where we may be confused and then reviews those concepts in class. He has been a wonderful addition to LSU, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to learn from him." —E.J. Ourso College of Business student

Tracy Morgan, Accounting
"Dr. Morgan is very knowledgeable, incredibly engaging, and shows how much she cares for her students in the way she interacts with her classes. I am an accounting major and she inspired me to feel 100% confident in my choice to pursue a career in accounting." —E.J. Ourso College of Business student

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College of Coast & Environment

Linda Bui, Environmental Sciences
"She is a fabulous mentor who takes the time to get to know her students." —College of Coast & Environment student

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College of Engineering

Zhihong Pang, Construction Management
"He provided detailed, informative videos of lectures and problem solutions, helping me fully understand all the key points and their connections. It is easy to see that he put a lot of effort into those course materials."—College of Engineering/LSU Online student

Samuel Snow, Environmental Engineering
"He is a great lecturer who always makes sure to give us relevant examples that are both informative and interesting. He also clearly cares we are all able to access the content because he streams and uploads recordings of lectures. I appreciate that he also takes class time to give us real world examples of wastewater treatment and the impact it has on larger society." —College of Engineering student

Nick Totaro, Biological Engineering
"His passion for teaching and helping us understand the material and understand ourselves does not go unnoticed. He is truly the light LSU engineering needs, and sees the potential in all of his students, regardless of how many he has or has had." —College of Engineering student

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Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College

Drew Lamonica Arms, Ogden Honors College
"Your analysis of the books we read is on point and inspired me to read the texts more critically, though it takes longer to read now." —College of Humanities & Social Sciences student

Asher Gelzer-Govatos, Ogden Honors College
"Dr. Gelzer-Govatos is truly an incredible professor. His class is something I look forward to as someone who doesn’t really enjoy the subject. He knows every single one of his students' names, addresses us by them, and has mutual respect for us. He creates an engaging and intellectually stimulating environment where every student feels included and valued. His passion and charisma while teaching cannot be overlooked. He’s the kind of professor who lights up when a student gets something right or offers a fresh perspective, and that energy encourages us to think more deeply. I love his class and have recommended it to all of my friends because I loved it so much. He is one of a kind. Thank you, Professor Gelzer-Govatos!" —E.J. Ourso College of Business student

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College of Human Sciences & Education

Bethany Hager, Leadership & Human Resource Development
"Dr. Hager is truly one of the best people I’ve ever had the privilege of learning from. She is consistently encouraging and uplifting, always pushing her students to believe in themselves—and at times, I feel she has more confidence in me than I have in myself." —College of Human Sciences & Education student

Hailey Parry, Kinesiology
"Dr. Parry has made a class that I thought was going to be the death of me, one of my favorites. I have never had a professor who explains hard-to-grasp concepts as well as her." —College of Human Sciences & Education student

Melissa Thompson, Kinesiology
"Dr. Thompson holds her students accountable while still treating everyone with fairness and respect. She genuinely wants her students to understand the material, and it shows. I’ve gone to her office hours multiple times, and she always takes the time to thoroughly explain what I missed on my exams and make sure it truly clicks. I’ve taken two classes with her, and I’m currently on the waitlist for another one of her classes because I would love to learn from her again. —College of Human Sciences & Education student

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College of Humanities & Social Sciences

Michael Ardoline, Philosophy
"He is so smart and give his full attention to the students every class period. It's nice having a teacher who can explain complex things in a detailed and concise way. He never cancels and is always consistent every class which I appreciate a lot." —College of Humanities & Social Sciences student 

Emily Graves, Communication Studies
"As a freshman, I wasn’t sure what to expect when it came to how professors carried their classes, but Professor Graves stood out to me as a professor who truly cares about her craft. Public speaking is definitely a daunting task but actually being able to authentically listen to her talk about what makes a great speech as well as her personal experiences and examples made the class way more enjoyable than expected. She always stands for what she teaches, but also converses with us like our opinions and thoughts matter. —College of Agriculture student

Lauren Griffin, Religious Studies
"I have always enjoyed Dr. Griffin’s classes. Her lectures are engaging, easy to follow, and naturally hold your attention. She brings humor, curiosity, and energy to the classroom, which makes learning genuinely enjoyable. When I was scheduling another religious studies course, I specifically looked for her name. She encourages her students to ask questions and stay curious, while also being approachable, easy to talk to, and highly relatable. —College of Human Sciences & Education student

Saiward Pharr Hromadka, English
"Professor Hromadka is one of the most engaging teachers I have ever had the pleasure of studying under. She knows how to work with her students and make them feel that gaining knowledge is more important than simply obtaining a grade." —College of Science student

Anna Priddy, English
"She is always prepared and is very good at explaining the short stories we read in class. She never fails to keep my mind thinking and open to new ideas." —College of Science student

Raymond Stock, Arabic
"I have dreamed of learning Arabic my whole life, and always hoped to grow closer to that side of my heritage. However, I was always scared to try in school due to Arabic’s difficulty. Professor Stock has truly been life changing in my learning, and I do not think I would have the knowledge I do now if not for him. An impeccable, underappreciated person. —College of Humanities & Social Sciences student 

Jill Trepanier, Geography
"She goes the extra mile to make sure we understand. She is interactive, conversational, and doesn’t just teach from the slides. She needs a raise EXPEDITIOUSLY." —College of Humanities & Social Sciences student 

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Manship School of Mass Communication

Josh Grimm, Journalism/Mass Communication
"Dr. Grimm cares about his students more than just their academics and takes the time to get to know every single one of his students. He really cares not only about how his students are performing but also about how he is performing." —College of Science/Honors College student

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College of Music & Dramatic Arts 

Andrew Parker, Music
"Dr. Parker has been an absolute rock for me. He may not have every answer, but he knows how to help you find that answer and calm you down. I never feel ashamed for not knowing something and, without a doubt, know he will never judge me. I am so happy that I will get to continue learning from him, both educationally and personally, until I graduate." —College of Music & Dramatic Arts student 

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College of Science

Nabanita Bhattacharyya, Biological Sciences
"Professor Bhattacharyya consistently goes above and beyond to ensure that every student truly understands the material she teaches. Her clear communication during lectures and encouragement of class participation make learning engaging and accessible. She is the first teacher whose teaching style helped me feel confident and prepared for exams since being at LSU." —College of Science student

Hwang Lee, Physics
"Dr. Lee does a fantastic job of presenting topics that can be boring in a fun and educating way. He does a great job making the class chuckle and laugh with him. He takes sharing knowledge seriously but does not take himself overly serious. He dances around hard and confusing concepts until he is sure we understand the basics and then gently adds in those more confusing topics so everyone can understand the topic. The obvious care and attention he brings to each class makes learning so significantly easier, it makes the subject simple to learn, study, and comprehend." —College of Engineering student

Amy Luther, Geology
"Dr. Luther makes sure we all understand the information by taking her time in explaining in-depth material and explaining in a way that makes it easy to understand. She fully explains expectations for tests and projects and allows for as many questions as necessary. You can tell she wants us to be successful in our endeavors and projects." —College of Science student

Khoa Nguyen, Biological Sciences
"Extremely enthusiastic about everything he teaches! I had him for Microbiology over the summer and for Evolution this fall, and seeing him take the time to learn all of his students names and make an effort to support them means the world to every student in his class. I’ve never been more engaged in a science class and ready to learn at 7:30 until I took his class. He’s always willing to help a student better understand the concepts they’re struggling with, and just an amazing person and teach all around. He definitely deserves some recognition for his dedication to learning." —College of Humanities & Social Sciences student

Jane Reiland, Biological Sciences
"For a while, I was really in a slump and not turning work in. I've never met Dr. Reiland, but she's the head of my lab I'm in and she personally emailed me encouraging me to do better. —College of Agriculture student

Vinicio Rios Arrieta, Mathematics
"Dr. Rios is an amazing teacher, he really takes the time to make class fun and easy to understand. He makes you feel comfortable no matter what level you’re at and continuously re-teaches small things from past courses that we may have forgotten. He makes sure we have every resource we need to succeed including quizzes, multiple practice exams, and on occasion homework extensions. He makes jokes every morning despite it being 7:30 a.m. and always answers questions thoroughly. He is the best teacher I have ever had." —College of Engineering student