With its guaranteed anonymity and slam-book style candor, RateMyProfessor.com is viewed by some faculty with trepidation. Marisa Milanese, a College of Arts & Sciences Writing Program senior lecturer, can breathe easy on that account. The entries by her students amount to a lovefest. Or as one fall 2011 entry gushed, “Love Love Love her. In fact, she’s probably my favorite of all time. I grew so much as a writer and as a student.” A ringing endorsement under any circumstances, these comments refer to required classes that, “let’s face it,” says Milanese, “many students would rather not take.”
Milanese, who is also curriculum coordinator and a mentor to fellow writing faculty (the program is home to more than 100 faculty, tutors, and staff), is the winner of one of this year’s two Metcalf Awards for Excellence in Teaching, announced May 3 at the Senior Breakfast.