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UMUC-Europe

2004

Stanley J. Drazek Teaching Excellence Award Recipients

M. Jean Mandola

Aside from teaching theoretical courses in art history and studio courses in painting, drawing, and design for UMUC since 1976, Collegiate Associate Professor M. Jean Mandola has been active in developing and organizing study tour courses for UMUC-Europe. Held in a combination of venues, these courses incorporate visits to major museums throughout Europe such as the Picasso Museum in Paris, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Matisse Museum in Nice, or the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Copenhagen. Thus, Mandola combines solid theoretical foundations with the exciting experience of viewing world masterpieces in international settings, making full use of UMUC's European location to make art courses a life as well as an academic experience for her students. In recent years, she has added UMUC's virtual classroom to her list of venues, thus integrating a wealth of electronic resources to her palette of teaching tools and contexts.

In addition to her work with UMUC, Mandola has taught courses for the Institute for American Universities within the framework of the junior year abroad program in Aix-en-Provence, France. Before joining UMUC, she also held the position of assistant professor in art history at Northern State University and was already active in teaching as a graduate student at Michigan State University. Prior to this award, Mandola was named an Artist-in-Residence at the Michael Karolyi Foundation in Vence, France, and has also received a National Defense Language Fellowship for the study of Asian art and culture.

Mandola earned a B.A. in humanities and an M.A. in history of art from Michigan State University.

Nile Stanton

Collegiate Professor Nile Stanton has taught with UMUC-Europe since 1994. As an active member of the UMUC faculty, he has regularly participated in global faculty symposia and workshops, mentored peers in the area of distance education, taken part in pilot projects in faculty development, and co-developed global standard syllabi.

Aside from teaching, he has served as defense counsel to citizens accused of serious felonies in both federal and state courts throughout Indiana and other states and has represented plaintiffs in cases involving claims of racial discrimination, age discrimination, the rights of prisoners, and police brutality. He has served as Executive Director of the Indianapolis Lawyers Commission and published several scholarly works relating to government and criminal justice. Previous awards received include the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers' "President's Award" for serving pro bono publico in the death penalty case of Larry Hicks. Also recognized were his efforts in organizing a program designed to encourage young people to participate in local government.

In keeping with these achievements, Stanton himself sees his professional career as being "equally divided between practicing law and being a university professor." His faculty Web site attests to this integration of academic and professional interests and activities, providing students with annotated links to historical documents, theoretical essays, and analyses of actual court cases, thus presenting a continuing commitment to a balance between theory and practical application of the law.

After earning a B.S. and an M.A. from Ball State University, Stanton received the J.D. from Indiana University.