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Presidential Teaching Fellows

Presidential Teaching Fellows

The Presidential Teaching Fellows program in the Honors College aims to draw faculty from across campus to teach Honors undergraduate courses. Please scroll down for more information:

Current Presidential Teaching Fellows in Honors College

Elena Bessarabova
Elena Bessarabova

Associate Professor, Communication

2025-26 Honors College Presidential Teaching Fellow

ebess@ou.edu

Dr. Bessarabova's Bio

Elena Sturtevant
Victoria Sturtevant

Professor, Film and Media Studies

2025-26 Honors College Presidential Teaching Fellow

vsturtevant@ou.edu

Dr. Sturtevant's Bio

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Presidential Teaching Fellows in Honors

The Honors College invites outstanding OU faculty to apply for the Presidential Teaching Fellows (PTF) program — a unique opportunity to focus exclusively on teaching Honors undergraduate courses. Fellows receive a stipend in recognition of their exceptional commitment to undergraduate teaching and mentoring, as well as their role in creating bold, interdisciplinary classes that inspire students and enrich their own pedagogy.

All tenured and ranked renewable-term faculty from any OU department or college are eligible to apply with approval from their home department. Learn more about the program and how to apply in the Provost’s memo linked below.

Presidential Teaching Fellows (PTF) program

Past Presidential Teaching Fellows in Honors College

2023-24

John Banas, Communication

Ralph Beliveau, Creative Media Production and Professional Writing

2022-23

Rita Keresztesi, English 

2022

Aparna Nair, History of Science 

2020-22

Jill Hicks-Keeton, Religious Studies 

Michael Soreghan, Geosciences 

2018-20

Ellen Greene, Classics and Letters 

Heather Ketchum, Entomology 

2017-19

Justin Wert, Political Science 

2016-18

David Anderson, English

Aparna Mitra, Economics 

2015-17

Doug Gaffin, Biology 

Allen Hertzke, Political Science

Joshua Landis, International Studies