Seymour Schulich Teaching Excellence Awards

Established in 1998 by Mr. Seymour Schulich and the Schulich Centre for Teaching Excellence,
the Seymour Schulich Teaching Excellence Awards (TEAs) recognize outstanding contributions by instructors at the Schulich School of Business.

The criteria for these awards are based on Seymour Schulich’s vision
for excellence in these five areas:

2024-2025  Teaching Excellence Award Recipients

We invite you to join us in congratulating this well-deserving group of recipients for their outstanding contributions to teaching and learning at Schulich. We are fortunate to have such dedicated individuals enriching our students’ educational experience, and we sincerely thank them for their meaningful impact and commitment.

Undergraduate Program

Alex Fisher
1st Place Winner

Nudrat Mahmood
2nd Place Winner

Alex Garber

Margaret Hastings

Charles Hendriks

Peter Macdonald

Greg Milavsky

Annie Mac

Beppino Pasquali

Vijay Setlur

Graduate Programs

Marisa Morriello
1st Place Winner

Alexander Barclay
2nd Place Winner

Marc Colasanti

Raha Imanirad

Ashley Konson

Tom Medcof

Gary Miller

Rozita Moazemi-Farhani

Andrea Stupino

Dan Tzotzis

Previous TEA Winners

John Peace Part-Time Faculty Teaching Award

2024-2025 Winner

David Elsner

Professor of Analytics and Modelling for Healthcare
Adjunct Professor, Master of Management in Artificial Intelligence and Master of Business Analytics Program
President, DHE Consulting; Managing Partner, illuminaite

Schulich is proud to announce that David Elsner, Adjunct Professor in the Master of Management in Artificial Intelligence (MMAI) and Master of Business Analytics (MBAN) programs, has been named the recipient of the 2025 John Peace Part-Time Award.

David teaches Data Visualization and Modelling and has been a top-rated instructor in Schulich classrooms for several years. A recognized expert in analytics and artificial intelligence, he is also President of DHE Consulting and Managing Partner at illuminaite, two firms that help organizations harness advanced analytics and AI to drive performance. With over two decades of global consulting and executive experience, David brings exceptional real-world insight to his teaching.

Chris Carder and Moren Lévesque, Co-Directors of Schulich’s Entrepreneurial Studies program, described David as a “standout instructor whose classroom excellence and tireless service” embody the spirit of the John Peace Award. They also praised his ability to deliver “rigorous content with an engaging, inclusive style that students routinely cite as career-shaping.”

Julian Scott Yeomans, Professor of Operations Management and Information Systems and Director of the MBAN Program, said the following: “Not only has David positioned and maintained his skills levels on the crest of the technical wave, he has also mastered how these changing technologies have to be implemented in practice.” Professor Yeomans concluded, “David has proved to be a very highly valued colleague, who quietly and competently gives his very best … every day.”

Congratulations to David Elsner for winning this year’s John Peace Award – a well-deserved recognition of his exceptional teaching and meaningful contributions to our School.

The John Peace Part-Time Faculty Teaching Award was established in honour of John Peace, a dedicated part-time instructor at the Schulich School of Business from 1986 to 1996.  John, who taught business law and real estate courses, made valuable and significant contributions to the school until his passing.  In April 1996, the Policy Area posthumously nominated John for the Part-Time Faculty Teaching Award, and recognizing John’s exemplary teaching and service, it was proposed that the award be renamed in his memory, a suggestion that was warmly received and supported by then Area Coordinator, Jerry Dermer.  Consequently, the award was renamed the John Peace Part-Time Faculty Teaching Award, with the inaugural award presented to John’s widow and son at Convocation breakfast that year. Each year since, every area within the school is invited to nominate one outstanding part-time faculty member for this esteemed award, with the final selection made by the Dean in consultation with the Management Committee.

Previous John Peace Award Winners

ACTG: Alex Fisher

ARTM: Patricia Bradley

BSUS: Michael Meir

ENTR: Stuart Browne

HIMP: Joseph Mapa

MKTG: Ashley Konson

OMIS: Mark Thomas

PLCY: Wissam Al Hussaini

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Teaching Awards FAQ

Recent change to the administration of the TEA Rating process:

The ONCE course evaluations and TEA rating survey have now been combined into one convenient questionnaire requiring only one login for students.  Students no longer need to access two separate portals in order to submit their ONCE course evaluations or rate their instructors for a Teaching Excellence Award.  Change is effective Fall 2021.

Seymour Schulich Teaching Awards

Seymour Schulich’s vision for these awards is that the winners demonstrate excellence in:

  • Knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, the subject matter
  • Exceptional teaching strategies and communication skills
  • Positive student learning experiences
  • Teaching innovation
  • Responsiveness to student needs and concerns

Question 1 – asks students to rate the instructor’s teaching based on Seymour Schulich’s vision.

All Schulich full-time and part-time faculty who teach a course section* with 20 or more students (consistent with standard minimum enrolment requirements).

*The unit of evaluation for the Schulich TEA will be one course section – for example, ACTG 1000 3.00, Section A.

Excludes: teaching assistant, guest instructor or lecturer, external guest speaker, independent study advisor, 601/602 chair or advisor, major research paper advisor,  club faculty advisor.

**Please see below with respect to placing in first or second place in back-to-back years.

During the same time period in which the students are required complete their online course evaluations, students are presented with a separate, short questionnaire that provides an opportunity to rate their instructors for a Teaching Excellence Award.  The results of both questionnaires are separate and unrelated.  This TEA questionnaire, which is administered via the ONCE online platform, is to be completed in-class during each program’s respective ratings windows at the end of each term in an academic year.

The unit of evaluation for the Schulich TEA will be one course section* – e.g.,  ACTG 1000 3.00, Section A.

*Consistent with standard minimum enrolment requirements, only course sections with 20 or more students are eligible for the award.

The two rating questions are comprised as follows:

1. In your personal opinion, based on your experience in this course, do you believe this instructor should receive the Seymour Schulich Teaching Excellence Award?  (1 to 7 level of agreement scale)

2. Ethics Clearance** – No one attempted to influence my response to the question above. (False/True)

** Ethics question is monitored for deviations in the Top Ten
– Participation rate – minimum required for eligibility: 70%

Instructors with the top ten scores will be recognized, with the top two being the Schulich TEA winners for the year in each program (Undergraduate, Graduate).

The Schulich School of Business prides itself in weaving social responsibility into every aspect of its operations. In addition, this question will help to ensure there is no inappropriate campaigning by faculty or students.

What is considered inappropriate bias?

  • Telling your students to vote for you
  • Telling key influencer students in your class to encourage others to vote for you
  • Tying grades to voting participation
  • Writing on the board “Vote for me”….or helicoptering over students during the process
  • What is okay, however, and encouraged is to promote engagement in the process of Schulich TEA (notice distinction between that and trying to bias voting responses)

All students should submit their personal rating of their specific instructors, based on their own experience and based on their own judgment .

Self-promotion by an instructor is not permitted.

Promotion of a specific instructor by a student is not permitted.

Question 2 – Ethical Clearance asks whether the student’s response was free of inappropriate bias.

Evaluations are to be administered in-class during the last two class sessions of each term in each of the Graduate and Undergraduate programs

Regular 6-wk courses: week 5 and 6

Regular 12-wk courses: week 11 and 12

Weekend courses: last two class sessions

Irregular courses: last two class sessions

  • The two-week ratings window dates will vary depending on whether you are teaching regular courses in the Graduate or Undergraduate program.
  • Instructors will be notified by automated email of the ratings/evaluation period for the program(s) in which they are teaching as follows:
    • 3 weeks before the opening of the ratings/evaluations – for planning purposes – determine in which of the two classes you will hold the ratings/evaluations period
  • Students will be notified by automated email of the ratings/evaluation period as follows:
    • 1 day before the opening of the ratings/evaluations windows, and
    • 1 day before the closing of the ratings/evaluations windows – as a reminder
  • The notification emails (to instructors and students) will contain the link to the ONCE portal
  • Instructors will be asked to allow 15-20 minutes during the class to enable students to complete the Schulich TEA rating, in conjunction with the mandatory Online Course Evaluations.
  • Instructors may display the link to the portal on a PowerPoint slide for the students to reference during the in-class period.
  • Instructors may remind students of the upcoming ratings/evaluations period using Canvas announcements.
  • Feel free to remain in the room during the completion of the process, but refrain from speaking to/engaging with your students.

Students juggle many courses and responsibilities and allotting specific time in class ensures higher participation in this very important process for recognizing high performing faculty.

All Instructors and students will receive an email from the Associate Dean Academic (ADA), notifying them of their evaluation windows for the Online Course Evaluations (ONCE) and the Teaching Excellence Awards (TEA).

The ONCE evaluation questions and TEA rating questions appear on the same ONCE questionnaire.  The participation rate of TEA ratings is the same as the participation rate of the ONCE evaluations.

Although the Online Course Evaluations (ONCE) and Teaching Excellence Awards (TEA) are conducted at the same time and through the same platform, they are two entirely separate processes. The results from ONCE and TEA are independent of each other – neither affects nor influences the other.

ONCE (Online Course Evaluations)

ONCE is the official method for collecting student feedback on courses and instructors, as required by Schulich Faculty Council.  This feedback is primarily used by instructors to improve their teaching. After the term ends and final grades are submitted ONCE results are compiled and added to your permanent teaching record. For tenure-stream faculty, these evaluations are considered in tenure and promotion decisions; for part-time or contract faculty, they are used in reappointment decisions.

TEA (Teaching Excellence Awards)

The Teaching Excellence Awards are a separate initiative, supported by the SCTE, focused on student-led recognition of outstanding teaching, and is not part of the formal evaluation process.  Participation in TEA is entirely voluntary for students and must be free of any inappropriate bias.  (See above “How is social responsibility incorporated into these awards?” for details.)  It provides students with an opportunity to celebrate instructors who have made a significant impact on their learning.

TEA recipients exemplify the values behind Seymour Schulich’s vision for these awards, demonstrating excellence in areas such as:

  • Knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, the subject matter
  • Exceptional teaching strategies and communication skills
  • Positive student learning experiences
  • Teaching innovation
  • Responsiveness to student needs and concerns

Results from ONCE and TEA are independent of each other, and neither influences nor impacts the other.

Each of the Top Ten rated instructors will be notified directly by email by the Schulich Centre for Teaching Excellence.

An announcement to the Schulich community and students will follow.

All Top Ten rated instructors will be invited to attend the respective GBC or UBS end-of-year formals, where they will be celebrated by colleagues and students in an academy-award style presentation of the awards, culminating in the announcement of the two instructors placing first and second in the Top Ten.

All Top Ten rated instructors will be invited to attend either the GBC or UBS end-of-year formals, where they will be celebrated by colleagues and students in an academy-award style presentation of the awards, culminating in the announcement of the two instructors placing first and second in the Top Ten.

The Schulich TEA Top Ten will also be featured on the Schulich Teaching & Learning website, and the first- and second-place winners will be showcased in the newly-established Seymour Schulich Teaching Excellence Awards Wall of Fame in the North Lobby of the Schulich building.

Everyone in the Schulich TEA Top Ten, other than the 1st and 2nd place winners, will receive a $500 award.

The 1st place winner receives $15,000 award and the 2nd place winner receives a $10,000 award, donated by Seymour Schulich.

Instructors who place in first or second in their respective program, are not eligible to do so again for a period of three years, within that program (Graduate or Undergraduate program).

John Peace Part-Time Faculty Teaching Award

The John Peace Part-Time Faculty Teaching Award was established in honour of John Peace who was a part-time instructor at Schulich between 1986 and 1996. John had a small law practice in downtown Toronto, focusing on real estate law, but also taught business law and real estate courses at Schulich. Having taught for one term at Ryerson, he left because he preferred the culture (and talent level of the students) at Schulich.

Nominees are put forward by their responsible units based on the instructor’s length and quality of service.  The winner is then selected by Schulich’s Management Committee.

The John Peace Part-Time Faculty Teaching Award winner is announced each year at the Dean’s Convocation breakfast.

York University Teaching Awards

Learn More