Daniel Thorp receives 2013 William E. Wine Award
Daniel Thorp, associate professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, has received the university's 2013 William E. Wine Award.
The William E. Wine Achievement Awards were established in 1957 by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association in memory of William E. Wine, Class of 1904, who was a former rector of the board of visitors and alumni association president. Following a college-level selection process of candidates nominated by students, faculty, and alumni, each college may put forth one nominee. Three faculty members are selected to receive this teaching award by a committee representing all eight colleges at the university. Each Wine Award winner receives $2,000 and automatic induction into the Academy of Teaching Excellence.
A member of the university community since 1981, Thorp has maintained an average teaching evaluation rating of 3.7 out of a possible 4.0 and has earned three University Certificates of Teaching Excellence, an Alumni Award for Excellence in Academic Advising, an XCaliber Award for Excellence in Technology-assisted Teaching and Learning, and a Faculty Excellence Award, among many other accolades.
“Dan’s students consistently respond quite favorably not only to the knowledge, passion, and dedication he brings to the classroom, but also the strong rapport he cultivates with them,” said Mark Barrow, professor and chair of the Department of History.
One student wrote, “Dr. Thorp has been and continues to be one of the most formative influences in my academic career. His passion for history is immense, but it does not compare to the enthusiasm he has to see his students succeed.”
Thorp has developed 10 new graduate and undergraduate history courses and is a campus leader in curriculum development, most recently serving as director of the university’s Curriculum for Liberal Education. He has done pioneering work in digital learning and new media, including the development of The Digital History Reader, which involved a team of nine faculty members and a grant for $180,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
He has been a mentor not only to students but also to his colleagues, having served as chair of the history department, a member of the departmental teaching evaluation committee, and one of the primary faculty advisors for a mentoring and support group for early career teachers in the department.
Thorp received a bachelor’s degree from Davidson College and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University.
