LUIS ALVAREZ MAKES HISTORY

Luis Alvarez’s history classes are about more than the past.

They are about relationships, connections and the future. An assistant professor of history, Alvarez has made his mark as a historian and scholar, receiving a 2005 Enron Teaching Excellence Award.

Student Mary Angela Kirby-Calder said, “We reach the goals of the course with an appreciation for the process and the end result.”

Alvarez’s enthusiasm for history and culture fuel his innovative teaching approach.

“If students leave my classes with a realization that history, culture and society are complex and often contradictory, and that part of their job as scholars is to make sense of and participate in those complexities and differences, I have added to their journey of education and self-discovery,” Alvarez said.

The award carries with it a trophy and a $5,000 check from an endowment established by the Enron Corp. Nominees must be tenured/tenure track faculty demonstrating excellence in teaching.

Staff writer Marisa Ramirez