Professor says students’ passion helped him earn national award
University of Nevada, Las Vegas professor Alfredo Fernandez-Gonzalez is no stranger to teaching awards —- the list is long and full of prestigious titles. In November, it got a little longer when he was named the 2012 Nevada Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
Fernandez-Gonzalez, a Whitney-area resident, is an associate professor of architecture and director of the Natural Energies Advanced Technologies Laboratory, or NEAT, at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway.
Winning the award was nice, Fernandez-Gonzalez said, but like all the other awards, it "doesn’t change anything."
"It just inspires me to keep doing what I’m doing," he said. "… As I said to the students, this award is really theirs. Their energy and passion continue to feed me. It’s kind of a mutual thing."
Fernandez-Gonzalez accepted the award Nov. 15 in Washington, D.C., along with professors from 29 other states. The U.S. Professors of the Year awards program started in 1981, and educators are judged based on their "impact on and involvement with undergraduate students; scholarly approach to teaching and learning; contribution to undergraduate education in the institution, community and profession; and support from colleagues and former undergraduate students," according to the program’s website.
Fernandez-Gonzalez’s students are less modest about his accomplishments and had no trouble praising him. The most common comment from students was how accessible he is.
"He’s always available for anyone whenever they have a question on anything," graduate student Eric Gross said, "even if it’s not related to his classes."
Another graduate student, Julian Costache, has had Fernandez-Gonzalez as a professor in four classes. He took two because they were required and the other two because he saw who was teaching them.
"He’s the kind of teacher that, when he opens his mouth, it’s best to shut up and listen," Costache said. "He knows his stuff."
Costache credited Fernandez-Gonzalez as the "main reason" the UNLV School of Architecture received accreditation in 2011.
"I’m sure the whole school owes him," Costache said. "Under his leadership we got accredited faster and better than (most schools)."
Even though Fernandez-Gonzalez coordinated the accreditation, he dismissed the notion that he was responsible for its success. It was the work of "everyone in the school," he said.
Fernandez-Gonzalez joined UNLV in 2004 and immediately started the NEAT Laboratory, helping to establish themes of sustainability, energy efficiency and green design.
Namyd Lyoubi, who is Fernandez-Gonzalez’s graduate assistant this semester, said the professor came to UNLV at a "pivotal moment for the school."
"It didn’t have much identity and direction," Lyoubi said. "He gave almost a mission statement to our school."
And although awards are nothing new, Fernandez-Gonzalez admitted this one is particularly special.
"In the U.S., it’s the highest award one can get," he said, "kind of like getting an Emmy for an actor or Grammy for a musician."
Contact View education reporter Jeff Mosier at jmosier@viewnews.com or 702-224-5524.
