Two members of the Yale faculty — Sarah Demers, a professor of physics in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Christine Hayes, Sterling Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies — were awarded the William Clyde DeVane for outstanding scholarship and undergraduate teaching by Yale’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa last week during its annual reception for Yale seniors.
The DeVane award, the oldest teaching award in Yale College, has been conferred annually by the chapter since 1966. DeVane, the award’s namesake, was dean of Yale College from 1938 until 1963 and was a long-time president of the Yale chapter as well as a senator and president for the national society of Phi Beta Kappa.
Each year, graduate members of the society elect one medal recipient from among the retired members of the faculty (Hayes), and undergraduate members elect an undergraduate teaching medal recipient from among the active members of the faculty (Demers).
During the same reception, Pamela Schirmeister ’80, ’88 Ph.D., deputy dean of Yale College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, was presented with the Joseph W. Gordon Award for outstanding support of teaching and learning in Yale College.
Established in 2016, the award is given annually by the Phi Beta Kappa chapter to a Yale graduate or current staff member in recognition of distinguished contributions to the arts and sciences. The award is named of Gordon, who earned his Ph.D. at Yale in 1976 and subsequently served on the English department faculty. He later became deputy dean and dean of undergraduate education in Yale College.
“Insanely observant and attentive,” “attuned to her students’ needs,” “enthusiastic,” and “an icon,” are some of the words that students used to describe Demers, said Zach Moynihan, a Yale senior who presented her with the DeVane award on behalf of undergraduate members of the chapter.
As a pre-med student, he took Demers’ introductory physics course because it was a required prerequisite, he told the audience. But, he added, he “grew to love and appreciate the discipline, all thanks to her enthusiasm and dedication as an instructor.
“[She] is compassionate, flexible, and fiercely knowledgeable,” Moynihan said. “She uses real-world examples and live demonstrations to guide the content of her course.” Most important, he added, she inspires students “and makes them feel like they belong in STEM.” She has “deep respect for learners of all backgrounds and believes that physics — and science more broadly — should be both accessible and exhilarating.”
Hayes, a distinguished scholar of Judaica and the Talmud, “is by universal accord considered the most respected academic scholar of Talmud in the world,” said Penelope Laurans, senior adviser at the university, who presented the DeVane award to Hayes on behalf of the faculty members of the chapter.
“In a field that is deeply divided over how to treat rabbinic texts,” Laurans said, “Hayes has been said to bestride disciplinary and geographical divides like a colossus, having the uncommon distinction of being respected across a variety of subfields by scholars in America, Israel, and Europe.”
Beyond her scholarship, Laurans added, Hayes was praised by students for her undergraduate courses — especially for her large lecture courses, which received “rave reviews.” And, as a teacher of graduate students, she was known for her “scholarly authority, her mentorship, and the punctilious way she approaches and edits their work.”
During the ceremony, George Levesque, dean of academic affairs in Yale College and secretary for the chapter, presented the Gordon Award to Schirmeister.
“Whether as a scholar, instructor or academic dean,” he said, “Dean Schirmeister has been a tireless and eloquent defender and promoter of the values of the liberal arts, both at Yale and beyond.”
Like Joseph W. Gordon himself, Levesque told the gathering, Schirmeister “has been a trusted colleague to multiple deans, spanning decades” and has “served on virtually every committee in the College, providing invaluable institutional knowledge and experience.”
Among her key contributions, he added, has been her advocacy for interdisciplinary teaching and learning — whether as director of Graduate Studies for the Mellon interdisciplinary program, or her role in selecting faculty recipients for the Poorvu Family Fund for Academic Innovation, or in supervising the undergraduate interdisciplinary certificate programs.