Schnietz Receives Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Prize

Schnietz Receives Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Prize

BY DANA DURBIN
Rice News Staff
May 7, 1998

From the moment she stepped into a classroom, Karen Schnietz knew she was born
to teach.

And now, the Jones School of Management assistant professor has been honored
for just that. Schnietz is the recipient of the Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Prize
for 1997-98 awarded by the Rice chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, a national fraternity
whose members were the top students in their graduating classes.

"I just love teaching. Almost from the first moment I stepped into a classroom,
I had a deep feeling that I really loved doing this and I sensed that I had
an innate skill and gift for it," Schnietz said.

Schnietz’s Jones School students seem to like her as much as she likes teaching.
The Phi Beta Kappa Prize is awarded based on student performance and students’
evaluations of their teachers, said Charles Stewart, chair of the selection
committee and professor of biochemistry and cell biology.

The award is designed to recognize younger faculty members; only assistant
professors are eligible to receive the prize. Schnietz, who is a graduate of
Bryn Mawr College with a master’s in business administration and a doctorate
from the University of California-Berkeley, is in her seventh year of teaching
at Rice.

Research is of course important to Schnietz as well, but she seems to have
a special passion for the interaction, participation and learning that goes
on in the classroom.

She tries to make one change in her classroom each semester, often incorporating
strategies to bring out students who generally do not participate in classroom
discussions.

Schnietz said that especially in her ADMIN 562: The Political and Legal Environment
of Business course, a large class required of all Jones School students, there
are about 20 students who are very assertive, about 20 who participate occasionally
and another 20 students who are extremely quiet.

"The challenge is in drawing the quiet students out. One year I gave everybody
a block that represented one comment and no one could leave until everyone had
used their block and no one could use more than one block," she said.

"That made the active participants be careful what to say and compelled
others to participate. It really shifted the dynamics of that particular course."

Students recognize the fun attitude that Schnietz brings into the classroom.
They also acknowledge her ability to bring relevance to the issues being discussed
and provide insight on why the instruction is important.

"The most important aspect about her teaching style is that she always
answers the managerial ‘So what?’ question, which means she points out the business
implication during each lecture," said Jones School student Tom Matthews,
adding that she also draws on current issues that students can relate to.

Schnietz will be recognized at the Phi Beta Kappa Ceremony of Initiation on
May 8 and will receive a $1,500 award as recipient of the Phi Beta Kappa Teaching
Prize.