A professor of English and associate dean of humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences, Karen Ford specializes in the teaching of poetry. Ford places high demands on her students’ abilities as readers and analysts, always inspiring them to dig deeper and learn more.

As one student writes, "Prof. Ford is the best instructor I've had at the UO. She is clear, organized, encouraging, and demanding. The amount of work she puts into helping us become better writers and thinkers is remarkable, and her high standards called forth better work than I usually do."

Karen Ford's unflagging devotion to teaching is played out not only in her classroom, but also behind the scenes as a mentor. Making herself available to her younger peers on matters as far flung as grade distribution, syllabus design, pedagogic innovation and equity and inclusion in the classroom, she is considered "the ultimate teacher-mentor," in the words of one colleague.

In recognition of her excellence in teaching, Karen Ford is a recipient of a 2015 Thomas F. Herman Faculty Achievement Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Return to 2015 Distinguished Teaching Awards page