Associate Professor of Practice Nancy Abram received a 2019 President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence, the University of Iowa’s top teaching honor.
Frequently cited by graduating seniors as one of the instructors who has “made a difference,” Abram’s corporate experience—seven years as a senior vice president of marketing development and vice president of field marketing—informs her approach to teaching. Abram regularly incorporates experiential projects from corporations, and takes students to visit warehouses and fulfillment centers.
Abram joined the Tippie College of Business as an adjunct instructor in 2007, and became a lecturer in 2013. She was promoted to associate professor of practice in 2018.
“Professor Abram is the perfect example of what Tippie looks for in a professor of practice. She came to us with a strong corporate background, and a passion for transferring that knowledge to students at the start of their careers,” wrote Amy Kristof-Brown, interim dean and Henry B. Tippie Research Professor of Management, in her recommendation. “Based on the dedication and applied excellence that Professor Abram brings to the classroom, and her extensive mentoring work with students for career preparation, I give my highest recommendation to her as one of the Tippie College’s exceptional educators.”
This is the third year in a row that a Tippie faculty member has received the award. Thomas Gruca, the Henry B. Tippie Research Professor of Marketing, received the award in 2017. Greg Stewart, professor of management and entrepreneurship and the Mary H. Bell Chair in Leadership, received the award in 2018.
The President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence, administered by the UI Council on Teaching, was created in 2004 and represents the highest level of achievement in teaching given at the UI. Nominations include reference to a commitment to students and compelling evidence of the nominee’s contributions to student learning and outcomes both in and outside of the classroom. Each award carries a $3,000 honorarium.