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KEARNEY — A University of Nebraska at Kearney psychology professor is the first Nebraska educator to be named a U.S. Professor of the Year by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.

Rick Miller, UNK professor and chair of the department of psychology, will receive the award at a luncheon and ceremony today at the Willard InterContinental Washington in Washington, D.C.

Miller earned the award in the Outstanding Master’s Universities and Colleges category. The U.S. Professor of the Year award is recognized as one of the most prestigious national awards honoring undergraduate teaching.

Miller has been described as “an engaging teacher who challenges his students to think critically about the material they encounter.”

Earlier this year, he received the Robert S. Daniel Award for outstanding teaching in a four-year college or university. The award was from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, a division of the American Psychological Association.

He has also received the top UNK teaching and mentoring awards: the Pratt-Heins Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Leland Holdt/Security Mutual Life Distinguished Professor Award. He has received the University of Nebraskawide Outstanding Teaching and Instructional Creativity Award.

Under his leadership, the department of psychology has received NU’s Outstanding Teaching Department Award once and the UNK Departmental Teaching Award four times, according to a press release from UNK.

In addition, Miller has received several research awards, including the UNK Pratt-Heins Foundation Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Research. He has authored or co-authored more than 70 book chapters and journal articles, and he has co-edited two books.

Since 1990, Miller has directed almost 200 undergraduate research projects; in addition, nearly 30 of his students have had their work published in professional psychology journals.

The national award is presented to educators in the four categories. The winners each receive a $5,000 cash award from The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

This year, the U.S. Professors of the Year award winners were selected from a pool of more than 300 nominees. Judges select national and state winners based on four criteria: effect on and involvement with undergraduate students; scholarly approach to teaching and learning; contributions to undergraduate education in the institution, community and profession; and support from colleagues, and current and former undergraduate students.

The U.S. Professors of the Year awards program, created in 1981, is the only national initiative specifically designed to recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching and mentoring.

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