Iowa State professors and staff will be honored at the Veishea Professor of the Year and Staff Member of the Year banquet, Thursday afternoon.

The Professor of the Year will be named at the banquet, and all nominees and the students who nominated them are invited.

The Veishea Professor of the Year program is a way for students to publicly show their appreciation for their professors, said Lynn Reed, the education/outreach co-chair.

“It gives students an opportunity to thank their professors,” she said. “There are good professors at ISU who don’t get recognition they deserve.”

The 80 nominations were separated by colleges and sent to the respective college councils. Based on the contact with the people, each council nominated one representative for their college. A Veishea committee consisting of the general co-chairs, education/outreach co-chairs and faculty coordinators selected the winner. The selection was based on the information provided in the nomination including what the professor has done above and beyond the call of duty.

Michele Bailey, education/outreach co-chair, said the nominated teachers get the gratification of knowing their students appreciate them.

“The professors feel they are making an impact on students,” Bailey said. “There may be a class of 100 students, but they know they are getting through to students. They know their hard work is not for nothing and their toil is worth the effort.”

Last year’s winner, George Knaphus, professor of botany and curriculum and instruction, will speak at the banquet. He said it was a very fine honor to win the award.

“It was a surprise and a marvelous thing that I very much appreciate,” Knaphus said.

The program is a way to show the importance of the undergraduate program, Knaphus said.

“The thing that impresses me most is that students are choosing to honor their professors,” he said.

Lois Tiffany, distinguished professor and chair of the botany department, and Beverly Crabtree, Dean of Family and Consumer Sciences, are other previous winners.

This year’s winners will receive a print of the Campanile from the Alumni Association.