WHITE-GRAVENOR PATIO – Georgetown University President John DeGioia announced today that Professor Valerie Frizzle is the recipient of this year’s Dorothy Brown Award.
Named in honor of former provost Dorothy Brown, the prize is awarded annually by vote of the student body to a professor who demonstrates both excellence in teaching and a commitment to the University’s Catholic and Jesuit mission through his or her selfless service.
Ms. Frizzle is among the most popular faculty members of Georgetown College, holding chairs concurrently in the biology, chemistry, and physics departments. That she won the Dorothy Brown Award comes as little surprise to many.
“According to my research, Professor Frizzle won by the biggest landslide in the history of the award,” said Dorothy Ann “D.A.” Irwin (COL ’17), one of the students responsible for counting the votes.
Ms. Frizzle’s unconventional approach to teaching has won the approval of many students. Not one to sit around a lecture hall, Ms. Frizzle routinely takes her classes out to do “field work.” An odd quirk that some have noticed is that Ms. Frizzle always requests the use of the same GUTS bus.
“Professor Frizzle is really amazing,” said Phoebe Terese (NHS ’17), a transfer student. “At my old school, the faculty never took such an active interest in student learning.”
Reflective of her students’ enthusiasm is Ms. Frizzle’s 4.9 rating on ratemyprofessors.com. The rating would be a perfect 5.0 but for one negative rating from a user named “@rn0ld.”
“This woman is a psychopath!” @rn0ld writes. “I took her organic chemistry class and was nearly eaten and digested. It has taken me years of therapy just to be able to hear the words ‘shrink ray’ without flinching. Just one class and you’ll be asking yourself why you didn’t stay home today.”
“Sounds like there was just no chemistry between those two!” remarks Carlos Ramon (COL ’16), one of Ms. Frizzle’s current students, to an audible groan.
Though students universally adore her, Ms. Frizzle has often landed herself in hot water with the University’s administration. Just last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service raided her office in response to reports that she was illegally keeping a Jackson’s chameleon.
“They took Liz!?!” alumna Keesha Franklin (COL ’14) wrote in an email to her old professor. “Oh bad, oh bad, oh bad bad bad!”
Ms. Frizzle also courts controversy in her outspoken opposition to Georgetown’s stance on birth control. She is a strong supporter of H*yas for Choice and regularly encourages her students to “take chances; get messy; make mistakes!”
The tense relationship between professor and administration was visible in the scowl President DeGioia wore as he presented the Dorothy Brown Award to Ms. Frizzle. Yet as if in proof that she deserves the award recognizing teaching and service, Ms. Frizzle immediately announced to her class that they would be going to visit their ill classmate, Ralphie Tennelli (COL ’18).