Recognizing Excellence in Teaching at King's

Congratulations to Dr. Claudia Clausius, Associate Professor of English, and Lucas Andersen, part-time faculty member with the School of Social Work, who will be honoured as the recipients of the 2025 King's Awards of Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Clausius will be recognized for full-time faculty and Andersen will be recognized for part-time faculty.

Dr. Clausius and Andersen were selected by a committee of students, faculty and staff who reviewed dozens of nominations from the King's community.

Dr. Clausius is "humbled to be counted among the previous recipients of this teaching award. What an honour." Owing deep gratitude to her colleagues in the Department of English, French, and Writing, she says they "set an intimidatingly high standard in teaching, but it is also their unwavering support and unflagging enthusiasm that have kept me excited about our shared mission at King's."

In reflecting on the honour of being the full-time recipient of the King's Awards of Excellence in Teaching, Dr. Clausius is reminded of the words of one of Ireland's greatest poets, W.B. Yeats, "education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."  

Dr. Clausius says that, for her, "that fire is kindled by the intrepid students in the Foundations and King's Scholar programs. Their intellectual curiosity challenged me to think more deeply. Their extraordinary work ethic stoked my own energy levels. And their generosity, toward one another, toward me, and toward the learning process, made our work a collaboration. I share this award with them."

She thanks King's for 26 years of support for her projects.

All of the members of the committee noted Dr. Clausius' outstanding record of teaching excellence, pedagogy, and research. Dr. Clausius received nominations that spoke highly of how she exemplified the qualities of an outstanding educator and mentor during her career at King's. 

"With over a decade of dedication to her profession, Dr. Clausius has made an indelible mark on the lives of countless students,' said one nominator. 

Dr. Clausius began at King's in 1999 as Academic Dean and became a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of English, French, and Writing a year later. She has been the Coordinator of the Foundations in the New Liberal Arts since 2012 and of the King's Scholar in the New Liberal Arts since 2017.

"It's impossible to overlook the profound impact she has had on her students. Her teaching went beyond simply imparting knowledge; she cultivated a classroom environment where we felt valued, heard, and encouraged to grow, both academically and personally," says one nominator.

"Dr. Clausius has made a lasting mark on the lives of countless students with her genuine kindness, tireless support, and unwavering commitment. She has been a trusted guide fostering a sense of community and an environment where students felt valued, heard, and encouraged to grow, both academically and personally," says Dr. Josephine Gemson, Associate Academic Dean (Interim) and Associate Professor.

A part-time faculty member since 2022, Andersen says he is deeply grateful to be the recipient of the award and for the privilege of teaching at King's. He is happy that the King's School of Social Work recognized his experience as a social work community leader as being valuable to the education of our students and future social workers. 

The members of the committee noted Andersen's outstanding record of excellence, pedagogy and teaching philosophy. The nominations received spoke highly of his skills, referring to him as "a phenomenal and incredible professor, and one of the kindest, too." King's students noted Andersen's compassion, authenticity and passion for social work, many commenting on how lucky they were to have classes with him. 

"The experiences I have had with staff and students have been deeply impactful for me. Teaching at King's has been such a fun and invigorating experience. I always look forward to the opportunity to teach and learn alongside our students. I'm always so impressed by our students, and I am thankful for their feedback and support. They never cease to inspire me," says Andersen. 

In addition to the Awards of Excellence in Teaching, Dr. Clausius and Andersen will each receive a stipend and will be invited to present lectures to the King's community. 

Congratulations to Dr. Claudia Clausius and Lucas Andersen!

For more information and to see a list of previous recipients, please visit the Awards of Teaching Excellence page.