For

Teaching Excellence

 Presented to

 Herman L. Totten

January 28, 1999

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Herman Lavon Totten received his Ph.D. in 1966. In his thirty-plus year career he has served as a faculty member and as an administrator at the University of Kentucky, the University of Oregon, and the University of North Texas. In addition, he has been a visiting faculty member at a number of other institutions. Since the beginning of his career he has been noted for his outstanding teaching. As one of his letters stated, “Herman Totten was born to teach and he loves teaching.” Another said, “He imparts more than just knowledge to his students; his enthusiasm, dedication and determination are contagious. So many of us who never thought we could excel in anything came to believe that there was nothing we could not accomplish. His marvelous sense of humor made learning fun.” Another stated that it is hard to describe his classes because “the energy is palpable, and you are drawn into the class experience. There is no standing on the sidelines, and each student feels as if the class is being conducted for that student alone.”

Dr. Totten’s major area of teaching has been management but his influence on curriculum design is evident throughout the program at the University of North Texas. One of his most remarkable characteristics is his willingness to try out new teaching techniques and instructional technologies. He pioneered in utilizing two-way video technology to reach out to students at off-campus sites and is now experimenting with using WebCT to offer the foundations course. Although he has encountered the usual problems with human and technological infrastructure, he has made distance education work, carrying it out with his inimitable sense of humor and charisma. He advises a large number of distance education students, taking phone calls and answering multitudes of email. He has gone out of his way to make these off-campus students fell as though they have a voice, an advocate, and a person on campus who can answer questions, calm insecurities, and solve problems.

Students recognize Dr. Totten as someone who combines high professional ethics with equally high personal standards and integrity. One of them wrote: “his character and principles are beyond reproach. He constantly strives to live the ideals and values that he espouses and teaches. To put it in the vernacular, ‘he walks the talk.’ He is one of the most truly honest people I have ever met.” The letters received about Dr. Totten contain some common themes: they assert that he has been an inspiration to them, that he has been the finest professor they have ever known, and that the lessons they have learned from him will be utilized not only in their professional careers but in their personal lives. It is obvious that Dr. Totten’s impact on students goes far beyond the boundaries of the classroom.

As UNT Dean, Philip Turner wrote in his letter of nomination, “for many years I knew of his teaching reputation through the grapevine, but when I became dean, I found that this reputation, though quite impressive, was only the tip of the iceberg. Though Dr. Totten is nearing the end of a very successful career in library and information science education, he is accelerating to the finish line.” His colleagues in ALISE would like to recognize this master teacher among us by presenting him with the 1999 Excellence in Teaching Award.