Lawrence Honors Two Faculty Members at Commencement for Outstanding Teaching

APPLETON, WIS. -- Lawrence University faculty members Steven Jordheim and Jeffrey Clark were honored for their teaching contributions Sunday at the college's 152nd commencement.

Jordheim, professor of music, received the college's Excellence in Teaching Award, given annually to a faculty member for outstanding performance in the teaching process, including the quest to ensure students reach their full development as individuals, human beings and future leaders of society. Clark, assistant professor of geology, was presented the Outstanding Young Teacher Award in recognition of demonstrated excellence in the classroom and the promise of continued growth.

Since joining the Lawrence Conservatory of Music in 1981, Jordheim, a saxophonist, has won two major international performance competitions. He earned first-place honors at the 1983 International Competition for Musical Performers in Geneva, Switzerland at the age of 25 and the following year won first prize in the Concert Artists Guild International Competition in New York City.

Since making his Carnegie Hall debut in 1985, Jordheim has traveled the world, performing with orchestras in Italy, China, Switzerland, France, Canada and throughout the United States. He taught at the Xi'an Conservatory of Music in China in 1997 and became the first saxophonist to perform as a soloist with China's Lanzhou Orchestra.

In presenting the award, Lawrence President Richard Warch cited Jordheim for teaching students "not only how to play the saxophone, but also how to teach it to future generations of musicians. You encourage and elicit the very best from your students. Your colleagues continue to marvel at your abilities."

Born in Fargo, N.D., Jordheim holds degrees in music performance from Northwestern University and the University of North Dakota.

As a fluvial geomorphologist, Clark studies how human activity alters the physical characteristics of rivers. He has conducted more than a dozen research trips to Puerto Rico, where he has worked with the International Institute of Tropical Forestry.

Closer to home, Clark oversees on-going student research on the changes and impact on Appleton's Apple Creek as the area shifts from agricultural use to residential development.

'Your courses integrate theory with application, abstract concepts with tangible observation and you involve students in meaningful, field-based research," Warch said in presenting Clark his award. "Your students are being prepared to address as scientists and citizens some of the most challenging issues facing our society in the years ahead."

Originally from Canton, N.Y., Clark earned his bachelor's degree from Middlebury College and his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University.