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The College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences (CLASS) announces the winners of the 2015 Ross M. Lence Awards for Teaching Excellence.

The college gives out teaching excellence awards in three categories: Social Sciences, Humanities, and Performing and Visual Arts. The awards are named to honor the memory of one of the University of Houston’s most inspiring teachers, Ross M. Lence, a professor of political science from 1971 – 2006.

The Ross M. Lence Award in the Social Sciences goes to Tracey Ledoux, Assistant Professor of Nutrition in the Department of Health and Human Performance.

One student admitted, when she signed up for the Community Nutrition course, “Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to enjoy the Community Nutrition course all that much.” But the student loved it - the interactive assignments, the guest lectures, the ability to get directly involved in research. The student described Dr. Ledoux as an “inspiration to me and others pursuing a career in nutrition.”

The Ross M. Lence Award in the Humanities goes to Jing Zhang, Instructional Assistant Professor of Chinese in Modern and Classical Languages.

One of her students, Diego Guala, believes not only did he learn Chinese while in her class, but he also grew as a person because of her. “With her, a college classroom can feel like a family.”

The Ross M. Lence Award in Performing and Visual Arts goes to Rachel Bush, Assistant Professor in the School of Theatre & Dance.

Professor Kevin Rigdon, professor of scenic and lighting design, expresses the faculty’s high esteem for Professor Bush. In addition, her students describe her as a passionate teacher and a “commanding force.”