Three members of the Lawrence University faculty were recognized for teaching and scholarship excellence Sunday, June 14 at the college’s 166th Commencement.
Dane Richeson, professor of music, received the Award for Excellence in Teaching, which recognizes outstanding performance in the teaching process, including the quest to ensure students reach their full development as individuals, human beings and future leaders of society.
Director of percussion studies, Richeson has established himself as a mentor conversant in the demanding intricacies of both Western classical and world music traditions.
Under this direction, the Lawrence University Percussion Ensemble was recognized with the 2014 Percussive Arts Society’s award for the best World Music Ensemble and was a featured performer at the PAS international convention in Indianapolis last November. In May, Tambo Toké, Lawrence’s Afro-Cuban percussion group, was cited for outstanding performance DownBeat magazine’s annual Student Music Awards competition in the college undergraduate Latin Jazz Ensemble category.
In presenting the award, Provost and Dean of the Faculty David Burrows cited Richeson for his ability “to see in each student the potential for excellence, no matter how undeveloped that potential at first.
“Through encouragement and insistence on high standards, you make that potential grow, and the result is the emergence of an outstanding performer,” said Burrows. “Whether teaching a Bernstein symphony, Brazilian samba, Cuban son or Ewe drumming and dancing, you are clearly an inspiration to us all.”
A versatile percussion virtuoso, Richeson has performed across the United States, Europe and Asia in roles as diverse as solo marimbist, jazz drummer, contemporary chamber and ethnic percussionist. He has played with renowned artists Bobby McFerrin, Gunther Schuller, Lionel Hampton and Dianne Reeves, among others.
“Whether teaching a Bernstein symphony, Brazilian samba, Cuban son or Ewe drumming and dancing, you are clearly an inspiration to us all.”
— Provost David Burrows on Dane Richeson
He has spent time living in Ghana, studying the music and dance of the Ewe people, Matanzas, Cuba, where he studied with the musical director of Los Munequitos de Matanzas, and Salvador, Brazil, studying Bahia drumming traditions.
A member of the Lawrence faculty since 1984, Richeson earned a bachelor of music degree from Ohio State University and a master’s degree from Ithaca College.
Arnold Shober, associate professor of government, received the award for Excellence in Scholarship. Established in 2006, the award recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated sustained scholarly excellence for a number of years and whose work exemplifies the ideals of the teacher-scholar.
A specialist in public policy, particularly higher education and K-12 education, as well as local and state government and American political development, Shober joined the faculty in 2006. He is the author of two books, 2010’s “Splintered Accountability: State Governance and Education Reform,” and 2012’s “The Democratic Dilemma of American Education: Out of the Many, One?,” which was praised as a “wonderful and broad overview of the forces shaping American education policy.” He is currently completing a third book that examines the policies and politics surrounding Common Core.
Burrows credited Shober with the ability “to engage in extensive, careful scholarship at an impressive rate that shows every sign of continuing for many decades” in presenting him his award.
“Your focus on education policy is of extreme importance to Lawrence, to the future of the academy and to society in general,” said Burrows. “We all look forward to important contributions for many years to come.”
Shober’s political expertise is called upon frequently by the media. He is a frequent guest on Wisconsin Public Radio and has served as an election night analyst multiple times on one of the local television stations.
“Your focus on education policy is of extreme importance to Lawrence, to the future of the academy and to society in general,” said Burrows. “We all look forward to important contributions for many years to come.”
— Provost David Burrows on Arnold Shober
He earned a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in political science and history from Bradley University and his master’s and doctorate degrees in political science from UW-Madison.
Sara Ceballos, assistant professor of music, received the Young Teacher Award in recognition of demonstrated excellence in the classroom and the promise of continued growth.
A musicologist whose scholarship focuses on 17th– and 18th-century keyboard music, Ceballos joined the Lawrence faculty in 2008.
In honoring her, Burrows praised Ceballos as “a passionate, knowledgeable and inspiring teacher.”
“You set high standards for the quality of your students’ work and they appreciate the substantial improvements in their abilities that result from your insistence on excellence,” said Burrows. “You have been an effective contributor to Lawrence’s Freshman Studies program, where you have adopted creative techniques for enhancing students’ ability to write. You encourage each student to develop as an individual, creating ideas that are unique and following a distinctive, personal path to scholarship and understanding.”
“You set high standards for the quality of your students’ work and they appreciate the substantial improvements in their abilities that result from your insistence on excellence.”
Provost David Burrows on Sara Ceballos
Ceballos, who teaches classes as diverse as “National Identity and the American Musical,” “Spanish Sacred Music of the Golden Age” and “Music and Power Under the Sun King,” graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Colby College with a bachelor’s degree in music. She also earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in musicology at UCLA.
About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2015 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.
