PR teaching assistant wins Texas Exes Teaching Award

(Photo: Shauna D. Mora)
Pictured in the photo from left to right: Executive Vice President and Provost Steven Leslie, Kellyn Wieland, Texas Exes President Machree Gibson, and Dean of The College of Communication Rod P. Hart.

For Kellyn Wieland, the fall semester brought some big changes: a first-year graduate student in Advertising; a newly minted Texan; a first-time teaching assistant.

Now she can add award-winning teacher to the list.

Wieland has been awarded the 2011 Texas Exes Teaching Award for The College of Communication. The awards, presented by the Texas Exes alumni association, are bestowed annually on one professor and one graduate teaching assistant from each school or college.

This year, more than 600 professors and graduate assistants were nominated for the award. Candidates are recommended by students and then reviewed and chosen by selection committees within their school or college.

Wieland was nominated by her students in Public Relations Techniques, a class taught by Dave Junker, a lecturer in Public Relations and director of the Senior Fellows Honors Program.

"That she was nominated by PR 348 students says a lot about how good she is,” said Junker. “In this large, writing-intensive class, the TA is the one responsible for all the red ink. That tends to make you about as popular as the tax collector."

With an undergraduate degree in public relations from DePaul University, Wieland is no stranger to red ink or writing-intensive tasks. As an undergrad, she was actively involved in PRSSA and interned with Bloomingdale’s, Skirt PR, and Walker Sands Communications. Now, as a graduate teaching assistant, she brings that experience to UT and shares her advice with her students.

“I feel like I’ve learned every bit as much from my students as they could possibly learn from me,” said Wieland. “Just knowing that you’re working with students who are going to go on to be really successful in their field of choice is one of the most rewarding aspects of the job.”

The 2011 awards ceremony took place Feb. 21 and honored 30 recipients from across campus. In addition to the recognition, the awards also come with a check: $1,000 for professors and $500 for graduate assistants.

 “Kellyn is a natural teacher,” said Junker. “And her hard work and willingness to see things from the student’s perspective make her extra special.”