Persis Berlekamp receives Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching and Mentoring

Persis Berlekamp receives Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching and Mentoring

May 20, 2021

Persis Berlekamp
Image by Randolph Bradley

Congratulations to Persis Berlekamp (Associate Professor of Art History and the College and Affiliated Faculty in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations) for receiving the Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching and Mentoring! The award recognizes regular, full-time faculty members in the four divisions and the Divinity School for exemplary graduate teaching.

“Students here are open to letting professors experiment with their teaching, because they appreciate the spirit of learning as a live endeavor,” Berlekamp said. It’s one of the things she loves about UChicago, where she teaches about the history of Islamic art and architecture.

 “My plan is usually to give students the keys, but to know when to tug the wheel,” she said. As an advisor, her favorite moments are those in which she sees graduate students presenting their own work with confidence and purpose. But she’s also committed to supporting them as people.

To learn more about how Persis connects with her students, read the UChicago News article on the award announcement.