Reuel Rogers honored with the 2023 University Teaching Award

Reuel Rogers is being honored with the 2023 University Teaching Award. The annual recognition is given to professors who demonstrate excellence and innovation in undergraduate teaching. Rogers is an associate professor in the department of political science in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, with courtesy appointments in African American studies and Latin American and Caribbean studies. He earned his Ph.D. in politics from Princeton University.

“Driven by a commitment to teach at the highest levels, this year’s University Teaching Award honorees have greatly enhanced our students’ learning experiences,” said Provost Kathleen Hagerty. “These awards recognize the impact of these efforts for our students as they prepare for success in dynamic fields of work.”

In his teaching, Rogers examines the racial injustices and political disparities Blacks and other people of color experience in the United States. As he explains, he guides students to use “empirical evidence and social science theory to identify progress, problems, and puzzles in [these groups’] quest for democratic representation and equality,” his nomination states. He prompts students to “engage with counterarguments …when they make empirical claims,” with the aim of challenging them to “cultivate a nuanced perspective on how power operates in the American political system to harness or hinder its multiracial democratic potential.” His chair notes that Rogers’ courses “challenge students to look boldly at issues that can be as uncomfortable as they are urgent.”

Rogers strives to foster a “shared intellectual journey” in his classes where both he and his students contribute knowledge, and occasionally experiences, relevant to these topics. His chair adds that “Rogers is an absolute master at creating space for candid discussion, where students feel both safe and challenged, gaining the theoretical tools and analytical skills they need to make sense of politics.” His students echo this sentiment. One writes, “I feel I am a greater citizen because of Rogers’ course, and I will be better equipped to [help] society reach a status of social justice in a way I wasn’t able to before.” Another student adds, “Professor Rogers has given me a better understanding of the African American experience, and thus a better understanding of myself.”

The recipients of the 2023 University Teaching Awards were nominated by the deans of the schools or colleges in which they have principal appointments. Honorees were selected by a committee chaired by the provost and made up of senior faculty members, University administrators, the President of the Alumnae of Northwestern University and a student representative.

The award includes a salary stipend for the next three years as well as funds for professional development. The term begins at the start of the 2023-2024 academic year.

Scheduled for Tuesday, May 23, in Guild Lounge on the Evanston campus, the awards ceremony also will be livestreamed.