Awards

Herman Frederic Lieber Award - 1999

About Patricia McNeal

Patricia McNeal's development as a teacher was intimately linked to the growth of the Women's Studies Program she established at IUSB and the 16 new courses that now constitute the core curriculum of the program.

Under her leadership, the program sought a meaningful integration of intellectual content and personal experience and, thus, achieved the highest aims of education: to empower students to take charge of their own lives.

"McNeal's energies and enthusiasms as a teacher were not contained by disciplinary boundaries, the walls of the classroom or the gates of the campus. Like all good teachers, McNeal was a lifelong student and a great resource for her colleagues. Whenever she discovered a new methodology or pedagogy, she brought it to the campus as a whole. One of her strengths was to bring people together, creating new and productive collaborations, sharing resources, offering support," said Eileen Bender, professor of English at IUSB. "Many faculty strive throughout their careers to be good teachers. Pat McNeal tackled a larger agenda: to enlarge the possibilities of learning and her own discipline, not only for herself, but for others."