Six faculty members at Wayne State University are receiving top grades for their efforts in the classroom with the 2002 President's Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award winners come from a diverse group of disciplines ranging from English and philosophy to biological sciences, engineering and pediatric medicine.

The annual President's Award for Excellence in Teaching program recognizes six faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to teaching. This award provides each of the six faculty winners with an unrestricted grant of $2,500 and a citation. All regular, full-time, tenure-track faculty members are eligible. This year's winners will be honored on Wednesday, April17 at 2 p.m. at Wayne State's Alumni House.

The winners include:

· Ashok P. Sarnaik, professor of pediatrics in Wayne State's school of medicine, who is noted for having taught generations of physicians the science. Sarnaik's teaching excellence knows no boundary, be it the lecture hall, case conference, hallway or the bedside of a patient. The enduring lesson he has left with many of his students: "Always have compassion and dedication, and treat our patients as if they were our own children." Sarnaik, who lives in Grosse Pointe Woods, has been with Wayne State since 1973.

· Janet L. Langlois, associate professor of English, specializes in folklore and literature and teaches the subject from introductory courses to graduate seminars. She has a deep passion for teaching and has created a beautiful synthesis between the subject matter and the best methods for interesting students while conveying the information in a memorable, often entertaining manner. Langlois, who lives in Detroit, has been with Wayne State since 1977.

· Bruce Russell, professor of philosophy and department chair, teaches the demanding and complex subjects of ethics, epistemology and religion. Russell describes his approach to teaching in two injunctions: "Teach subject matter that you are interested in and enthusiastic about and talk to your students the way you would talk to a friend who is interested in learning about what you do." Russell, who lives in Westland, has been with Wayne State since1978.

· R. Anton Hough, professor of biological sciences, has teaching in his genes with his father and grandfather having been distinguished professors. He specializes in aquatic biology but also teaches a course for non-biologists that is the most popular course in the department. Hough, who lives in Detroit, has been with Wayne State since 1973.

· Syed Masud Mahmud, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, specializes in mini and microcomputers. Known as an innovative and creative teacher, Mahmud developed Wayne State's first distance-learning class taught simultaneously to students on campus and to engineers at Ford Motor Co. Mahmud, who lives in West Bloomfield, has been with Wayne State since 1988.

· Ljiljana Progovac, associate professor of English, specializes in teaching theoretical linguistics. Progovac goes the extra mile for her students in her classroom manner, for example she provides her students with weekly study guides that list key points on complex material. She has also been an advocate for her students as a Linguistic Student Advisor, helping place a number of graduates into prestigious Ph.D. programs. Progovac, who lives in Grosse Pointe, has been with Wayne State since 1991.