University Award for Excellence in Teaching
Peter Fritzell, 1988
"Peter Fritzell, scholar in the field of American literature, bedecked in gumboots, outfitted with philosophy, Freud, and Fritzellian originality, guided by a compass set on the polestar of excellence, you lead your students enthusiastically through the hummocks of text to the uplands of understanding, both literary and personal, where, armed with a magnum red pencil, you astutely and constructively aim them in pursuit of that elusive--one ought really to say indispensable--quarry, namely, clarity of expression, without which they could not give voice to the ideas you challenge them to develop in the classroom, nor profit fully from the counsel you so generously and sensitively render in equal portions to advisees formal and informal--some would say half the class--and in so giving of your energy and devotion show yourself to be not only a thoughtful commentator on, but a true practitioner of, the art of teaching.
Peter Fritzell, you serve as a model for us all. We are delighted to honor you today with the 1988 Excellent Teaching Award."