When she received Eastern Michigan University's Distinguished
Faculty Award in 2001, Heather Neff said the accolade transformed
her and gave her the confidence to teach.
In a week, Neff, a professor of English language and literature,
will receive one of three Distinguished Professor of the
Year Awards from the President's Council, State Universities
of Michigan.
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Neff |
Neff, who will receive $3,000, was recognized for her
commitment to student research and experiential education.
The 15 nominees are invited to the Michigan Distinguished
Professor of the Year luncheon recognition program June
20 at the Lansing Center.
"This award comes at a point of maturity in my teaching
life. This award kind of says to me, 'you don't get to
get lazy. It really matters that I do this.' It sort of
felt like the first (award) all over again,'' said Neff,
who received news of the honor the day before she turned
50. "This award says to me, 'Keep it up. Stay motivated.
Stay passionate. Because it does matter.'"
Neff, a professor at EMU since 1994, said her teaching
philosophy is one of inclusiveness and she uses her life
experiences — which includes time living in France,
Switzerland and the Caribbean — in the classroom.
"If you can get your class to feel comfortable, get them
not to judge, get them encouraged, then students will open
up and share their experiences. They know they're safe," Neff
said. "Many students come here with different backgrounds
and leave with another outlook."
She said EMU's diverse student body has broadened her
teaching and helped her to understand what students from
other cultures experience here. Neff recalled one student
who was a star athlete and did well in the classroom, but
who felt isolated and lonely because she didn't know anyone
from her country of Senegal. When other students from that
country were located for her and there was interaction,
the student felt she belonged.
Neff recalls another student, a Palestinian woman, whose
family allowed her to attend EMU because they did not have
a son to go into the family tiling business. While at EMU,
the woman's family wanted her to enter an arranged marriage
with a doctor from another state. If married, the doctor
wanted her to stay home and not pursue a career. The student
chose to finish her education at EMU before receiving her
master's degree in Middle Eastern Studies from a prestigious
school in the Northeast.
"These students have courage. The (family) background
is saying 'no, no, no.' Who's saying 'yes?' A handful of
teachers," Neff said.
Neff understands the conflict some of her students
feel. When she was an undergraduate student at the University
of Michigan, Neff said her father, a priest, and her mother,
a music teacher, encouraged her to study something practical,
where a good job and benefits were ensured.
"My mom said, 'Don't study literature. You won't get a
job,'" Neff recalled.
But, a school adviser, Morris Greenhut, encouraged Neff
to study literature, telling her that if she could read
and think critically, it would help her in everyday life.
"He told me, 'you can write. You should try to be a writer,' " she
said. "I have to thank him for not having me do the safe
thing."
In addition to her teaching, Neff has written four novels
— "Blackgammon," "Wisdom," "Accident
of Birth," and "Haarlem." — for Random House.
"My life would not be complete only writing or only teaching," she
said. "Each complements the other. It's a perfect balance,
the perfect life."
And while she appreciates the latest award, Neff said
she knows she can continually improve her teaching. She
pointed to a class she taught this past winter in which
she showed a documentary. In the film, an African-American
man tries to dissect why hip-hop culture, by and large,
degrades women. Instead of getting in-depth feedback and
her students asking questions, she said her students greeted
the documentary with laughter, albeit some of it was of
the nervous variety.
"Since I've shown it in April, I've thought about it every
day," Neff said. "I go home feeling beaten up. My concern
is that it didn't resonate with the students."
Neff said one student approached her after the film and
said students may have provided more honest feedback had
she shown the movie twice, once to females in the class
and once to the males.
Neff said she plans to take that advice the next time
she screens the film for her class.
"This is good for me. I never want to get to an age where
I no longer connect with students," she said.
"Sometimes, I feel guilty about the pleasure I get from
my job," Neff said. "It is important that we are really
recognized for what we do best, working closely with students."
