Faculty Teaching Prize for Mike Schmidli
Assistant Professor Mike Schmidli has won the 2025 Faculty Teaching Prize. The Education Committee praised his commitment not only to teaching students well, but also to helping them develop into well-rounded individuals.
The Teaching Prize is presented annually during the Opening of the Faculty Year. In addition to Schmidli, Assistant Professors Karen Smith and Casper Wits were nominated this year. The Education Committee was impressed by Smith's innovative teaching methods, which allow students to take the lead during lectures and learn to develop and express their own opinions. Wits was praised for his energetic and inspiring personality, which encourages student participation and engagement.
Winner Schmidli was praised for the way he incorporates the ‘spirit of the humanities’ into his lectures. He knows how to make complex subjects accessible, and introduces his students to the human stories behind historical events in the history of North America.
Acknowledgements
In his acceptance speech, Schmidli said that, in his opinion, every lecturer deserved to be awarded the university teaching prize at least once. He then raised a toast to all those present.
About the award
The Teaching Prize is presented annually to an outstanding teacher. All faculty members can be nominated by study associations, student members of programme committees, or by a group of at least three students. The award comes with a prize of €1,000.