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Five
Exceptional Pomona College Faculty Members Voted Wig
Professors by Students
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Pomona College professors J. Raymond Buriel, Robert Gaines,
Fredrick Grieman, Jerry Irish, and David Menefee-Libey have
been elected to receive the 2007 Wig Distinguished Professor
awards for excellence in teaching, by a vote of students at
the College. The awards recognize exceptional teaching,
concern for students and service to the College and
community.
The recipients of the Wig Awards are elected by the junior
and senior classes and then confirmed by a committee of
trustees, faculty and students. The awards were announced at
Pomona's 114th Commencement, held on May 13, 2006. They were
established by Mr. and Mrs. R.J. Wig in 1955.
J. Raymond Buriel, the Harry S. and Madge Rice
Thatcher Professor of Psychology and professor of Chicano
Studies, joined Pomona in 1977 and teaches Psychology of the
Chicano, The Psychology of Multicultural Education, a
seminar in Comparative Ethnic Psychology, and a seminar in
Cultural Psychology. This is his second Wig Award.
Student comments included:
• “He teaches compelling classes that push students to
critically consider the world beyond Pomona. His openness
allows him to be a role model and mentor to students in his
class.”
• “As a faculty mentor, he is both wise and approachable.
His mentoring isn't limited to academic work and he is a
prominent ally for students of color.”
• “The first class I took with him, Psychology of the
Chicano, instilled a passion in me that will last a
lifetime. Since then I have taken every other course he has
offered…. The courses that he teaches prompt students to
want to make a genuine difference in society and to apply
the course material to real experiences and instances.”
Buriel focuses his research on Chicano psychology, children
who translate for their parents, multicultural education,
and immigration and sociocultural change. He is a member of
the editorial boards of the Hispanic Journal of
Behavioral Science, Journal of Genetics Psychology
and Journal of Family Psychology. He holds a Ph.D.
and B.A. from the University of California, Riverside.
Robert Gaines, assistant professor of geology, joined
the faculty in 2004 and teaches Evolution of Earth’s
Biosphere, Introduction to Geology: Paleontology and the
Evolution of Earth’s Biosphere, Research Methods, Earth
History, and Sedimentology. This is his first Wig Award, and
the first year he was eligible.
Student comments include:
• “A man whose enthusiasm is so contagious that one can't
help but look at the Earth differently after hearing him
talk about rocks.”
• “Bob has inspired a new generation of geologists. Field
trips with Bob to Utah have become the signature Pomona
Geology experience, awakening students to the beauty of the
desert and the intellectual excitement of field work.”
• “He really understands what is necessary to get
non-science majors to love and be engaged by science.”
• “An enthusiastic, creative professor, and the only person
I know who can link earth history to a Snickers bar.”
In his research, Gaines focuses on the paleontology and
paleoecology of early life with a focus on the “Cambrian
Explosion,” Burgess Shale-type deposits, fossil Lägerstatten,
and sedimentary geology. He received his B.S. degree from
the College of William and Mary, his M.S. from the
University of Cincinnati and his Ph.D. from the University
of California, Riverside.
Frederick Grieman, the Roscoe Moss Professor of
Chemistry, joined Pomona’s faculty in 1982 and teaches
General Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, and Group Theory in
Chemistry. This is his second Wig Award.
Student comments include:
• “Truly devoted to both his students and his research….
Aside from being a great lecturer he cares a lot for the
school and the student body. I always see him at school
sporting events too.”
• Professor Grieman made the complicated and ethereal field
of quantum mechanics make sense. Despite teaching an
incredibly challenging class, he kept everyone from being
discouraged.”
• “He genuinely cares about his students, whether it
concerns course material comprehension, or life in general.”
• “Simply put, the most professional, demanding yet
understanding professor I've come across at Pomona.”
Grieman’s research interests involve gas-phase spectroscopy
of molecular ions and transition metal compounds via
electron impact and laser excitation of free-jet expansions.
He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. from the University of
California, Berkeley, and his B.A. from the University of
California, Irvine.
Jerry Irish, the John Knox McLean Professor of
Religion and Religious Studies, joined the faculty in 1986
and has taught Religious Ethics, The Idea of God, The
Experience of God: Contemporary Theologies of
Transformation; Feminist Theology and Ethics; Spirit
Matters: In Search of a Personal Ecology; and Religion,
Ethics and Social Practice. This is his third Wig Award.
Student comments include:
• “He is thoughtful, intelligent, passionate, encouraging,
and most of all, dedicated to his students.”
• “He really challenges us to think about how we interact
with the world around us, and what our responsibilities are
to society.”
• “It is inspiring to see how Professor Irish integrates his
intellectual interests with his personal actions. He truly
lives out the concern for humanity that the texts we read in
his class express.”
• An amazing professor and an inspirational human being.”
• “No one is expected to leave a class believing anything
that they did not going in, but rather to have inspected on
a personal level as well as an intellectual one. No one at
Pomona has challenged me to grow so much in both of these
spheres.”
Irish’s expertise centers on religious ethics, feminist
theology and ideas of God. He earned his Ph.D. from Yale
University, his B.D. from Southern Methodist University and
his B.A. from Cornell University.
David Menefee-Libey, professor of Politics, joined
the Pomona faculty in 1989 and teaches Introduction to
American Politics, The United States Congress, Campaigns and
Election, Policy Implementation and Evaluation, Education
Politics and Policy, Education Policy Data Workshop, and the
Public Policy Analysis thesis seminar. This is his fourth
Wig Award.
Student comments include:
• “He has single-handedly spurred my interest in politics
and policy issues and has consistently been available for
help with papers, projects, or just to talk about life.”
• “Professor ML must be the only professor that can make a
Congress class entertaining.”
• “He cares about every single one of his students and truly
enjoys learning from his students almost as much as teaching
them.”
• “He teaches because he loves it and it shows.”
• “He…will take the time to talk to someone who needs
him--whether it's for advice about their major, going
abroad, their thesis, or their future.”
Menefee-Libey’s research has focused on the politics of
reform in urban public school districts, particularly in the
Los Angeles region, and in the area of campaigns and
elections, especially candidate and party strategy and
campaign finance. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from the
University of Chicago and his B.A. from St. Olaf College.
Pomona College, one of the nation’s premier liberal arts
institutions, offers a comprehensive program in the arts,
humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Its
hallmarks include small classes, close relationships between
students and faculty, and a range of opportunities for
student research. Pomona College is one of only a handful of
schools that has need-blind admissions and meets the full
financial need of each accepted student. Visit Pomona
College on the web at www.pomona.edu.
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