Wendy Westphal, Ph.D., was named World Languages Teacher of the Year at the 2016 Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association (IFLTA) conference held November 3-5. Westphal was eligible for the award after receiving the German Collegiate Teacher of the Year award by the Indiana chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) last spring.
Westphal serves as assistant professor of German, chair of the Department of Languages and Cultures, and director of study abroad at Marian University.
“I think that this award underscores Dr. Westphal’s hard work and commitment to expanding our students’ experiences with languages. She has been tireless in working to support her faculty in their work and also on the expansion of Marian University students’ opportunities to study abroad. I was very pleased to hear this news. She certainly deserves this recognition,” Dr. Bill Mirola, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said.
During her career at Marian University, Westphal has enjoyed seeing how knowledge empowers students and shapes their understanding of the world.
“I love being directly involved in the learning process of my students. Knowledge and learning know no boundaries, show no discrimination, and this is for me an inspiring aspect of my profession,” Westphal said. “This is a great honor for me personally, but beyond that, it is my hope that this will further promote both German and the Department of Languages and Cultures at Marian University.”
In March 2018, Westphal will represent Indiana at the Central States Conference on the Teaching of Language. Congratulations, Dr. Westphal!
