Dr. Daniel G. Deffenbaugh, associate professor of religion at Hastings College, has been named 2005 Nebraska Professor of the Year.

    Sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), Deffenbaugh was selected from faculty members nominated by colleges and universities throughout the country. The award was announced today at a ceremony at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C.

    A member of the faculty since 2001, Deffenbaugh is a specialist in ecological theology and ethics, and has authored many articles and book reviews on those subjects. His first year at the college, he served as project director for a grant proposal submitted to the Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Programs for the Theological Exploration of Vocation. The proposal resulted in a $1.97 million grant that has greatly enhanced the college’s initiative for service-learning, vocational discernment, theological reflection, and preparation for the Christian ministry.

    "Dan is among the most gifted professors I have known during my 36 years in higher education. A marvelous classroom teacher, he consistently earns strong marks on student evaluations and is highly respected by his faculty colleagues," wrote Dr. Phillip Dudley, Hastings College president, in a letter of support accompanying Deffenbaugh’s nomination.

    A graduate of Hope College, Deffenbaugh earned a master of divinity degree at Western Theological Seminary, and master’s and doctoral degrees at Vanderbilt University.

    Deffenbaugh won the 2001 Student Alumni Ambassadors’ Award for Excellence in Teaching and a 2002-03 fellowship and 2003 research grant from The Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Religion. Academic advisor to all religion majors, he revised the 2002-2004 Academic Catalog for the religion major during his first year on the faculty. He co-sponsors student service trips to the American Southwest, co-chairs the Wellness Committee, co-sponsors Alpha Chi scholastic honorary, and helps organize the annual Religion-in-Life Week. Deffenbaugh is a pulpit supply preacher for Central Nebraska Presbytery, a board member of Crane Meadows Nature Center, and vice president of The Open Table, an ecumenical organization that provides meals for the hungry.

    Deffenbaugh is the third Hastings College professor to be named Nebraska Professor of the Year. Roger Doerr, professor of business and economics and president emeritus of the Hastings College Foundation, was selected in 1995; and Dr. James Wiest, professor of sociology and director of the Social Research Center, was chosen in 2002.

    CASE established the Professors of the Year program in 1981, and the Carnegie Foundation became co-sponsor a year later. This year, there were winners in 40 states, Guam, and the District of Columbia. Each candidate is nominated by his or her own institution.