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Historian
named Montana
Professor of the Year
Harry
Fritz, who has taught history at The University of Montana for nearly
four decades, has been named the 2004 Montana Professor of the Year
by two national organizations that promote teaching excellence.
Fritz is among 50 of the nation’s top professors who were honored
at events in Washington, D.C., last month as guests of the Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement
and Support of Education.
This marks the fifth consecutive year that a UM faculty member has
won the award, which recognizes one professor from each state for
outstanding teaching at the undergraduate level.
“That record speaks volumes about the quality of teaching at
The University of Montana,” said UM President George Dennison,
who nominated Fritz for the 2004 award. Letters of support also came
from Fritz’s current and former students and campus colleagues.
“Professor Harry Fritz has a deserved reputation on campus for
superb teaching,” Dennison said. “In a real sense, he
lives what he teaches, and students recognize the difference.”
A history department faculty member since 1967, Fritz consistently
has been one of the University’s most popular professors, filling
the minds of thousands of UM students with lessons of the past. His
courses on American and Montana history remain as popular today as
when he began his tenure. He has won every UM teaching excellence
award given by the administration and students — some twice.
An internationally recognized expert on Lewis and Clark, Fritz has
appeared in documentaries on and written extensively about the Corps
of Discovery. His new book, “The Lewis and Clark Expedition,”
was published earlier this year by Greenwood Press.
Fritz is known for literally bringing history to life with his annual
impression of Abraham Lincoln. Tall, lean and unusually Lincolnesque
in appearance, Fritz takes his show on the road around President’s
Day each year, visiting schools, small-town libraries and historical
societies across Montana. And every other year, Mr. Lincoln checks
in at the Montana Legislature, as a dignitary from America’s
past.
Fritz served in the Montana House of Representatives during 1985-87
and the Montana Senate during 1991-93. He uses his political experience
to enrich the learning process for his students, Dennison said.
Fritz has compiled many of his lectures into one of the most popular
books on Montana history, “Montana: Land of Contrast.”
In addition, he has co-edited several popular anthologies, including
“The Montana Heritage: An Anthology of Historical Essays,”
“The Montana Legacy: An Anthology of Historical Essays”
and “Montana and the West: Essays in Honor of K. Ross Toole.”
Established in 1981, the U.S. Professors of the Year program is the
only national initiative specifically designed to recognize excellence
in undergraduate teaching and mentoring.
Previous Montana Professor of the Year Award winners from UM are Gerry
Brenner, English, 2003; Esther England, music, 2002; John Photiades,
economics, 2001; Mehrdad Kia, history, 2000; Annie Sondag, health
and human performance, 1998; and Paul Lauren, history, 1991.
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