While taking on executive administrative duties at Iowa State, Interim President Richard Seagrave recently was honored for his work in the classroom.

Seagrave, professor of chemical engineering, was recognized as the 2000 Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching/Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.

He was nominated by Corly Peterson Brooke, director of the ISU Center for Teaching Excellence. Professors of the Year are chosen for their impact on undergraduates, their scholarly approach to teaching and contributions to undergraduate education.

“This is quite a distinguished and highly competitive award, and we are just thrilled that Iowa State is being honored for undergraduate teaching,” Brooke said. “Nominees must have extraordinary dedication to undergraduate teaching, show scholarship, an involvement with students and a commitment to undergraduate education, not only in the university but in the community.”

She said Seagrave’s commitment to undergraduate students was a deciding factor in his nomination.

“We were pleased to nominate him because of his long history of dedication to undergraduates,” Brooke said. “His commitment to students is clearly evident. We are delighted to see his open-door policy, both when he was in the provost’s office and now in the president’s office, for kids to be able to come and contact him. He serves as a clear role model to faculty and staff at Iowa State.”

Seagrave was first nominated for the award in 1999. His 2000 nomination was submitted in May before he was appointed interim president, Brooke said.

“They nominated me before I was an interim provost and certainly before I was interim president,” Seagrave said.

Brooke said the submission was accompanied by letters from faculty and former students.

“We had outstanding letters,” she said. “He clearly made a positive impact on his students.”

From 1974 to 1980, Seagrave served as professor-in-charge of the ISU biomedical engineering program.

From 1983 to 1990, Seagrave served as chair of the chemical engineering department. He was interim director of the ISU computation center from 1991 to 1992 and served as interim provost of ISU from January 1999 to September 1999.

Seagrave became interim president in August and will serve until a successor for former President Martin Jischke is selected. Jischke was appointed President of Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.

He has taught graduate and undergraduate classes in chemical engineering and biomedical engineering and served as adviser to more than 300 chemical engineering students during his career at Iowa State. He currently advises nearly 40 undergraduates and two doctorate students.

The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education is the largest international association of educational institutions, with nearly 2,900 colleges, universities and independent elementary and secondary schools in 44 countries. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is the only advanced study center for teachers in the world.

Seagrave said he is honored to receive the recognition.

“I feel really good about it,” he said. “I needed a lot of support from former students, and I’m glad they remembered me.”