Dr. Pamela C. Boyd, associate professor in Curriculum and Teaching has been named as one of only two of the university's top teachers for 2007. Along with Dr. Roland Dute of the College of Sciences and Mathematics, Boyd received the Gerald and Emily Leischuck Endowed Presidential Awards for Excellence in Teaching.

The award carries a $10,000 stipend for each recipient. Emeritus senior administrators Gerald and Emily Leischuck established the endowment in 2005 to recognize the university's teachers, and AU presented the first Leischuck Endowed Presidential Awards the same year. Both the Leischucks had taught in public schools in the 1960s, and as AU College of Education alumni, both maintained close ties to the college during lengthy careers as administrators at Auburn.

Boyd and Dute were nominated by other faculty and former students and were recommended for the award by a selection committee and the provost.

"Education, at any level, is only as good as the quality of teaching," said Provost John Heilman. "Drs. Boyd and Dute help elevate the quality of teaching to a very high level at Auburn University. They consistently serve as an inspiration for their students and are role models for other faculty at Auburn and beyond.

Boyd, an associate professor of curriculum and teaching, is a teacher of teachers. A faculty member at AU for 14 years, she teaches undergraduate students in the College of Education and active teachers in public schools across the region through the college's outreach programs and AU's Graduate School. Among other activities, Boyd was coordinator of the college's elementary education program from 2002-05, and she has been active in formal and informal partnerships with several Alabama schools, including Auburn City Schools.

Among letters supporting her nomination, several teachers in public schools said Boyd was a role model for their teaching styles and philosophy, which includes a commitment to preparation and collaboration. Also supporting the nomination, College of Education Dean Frances Kochan wrote: "She is among the most sincere, caring, compassionate and supportive teachers I have ever known."