We are proud to have teachers who inspire our students to grow, learn, and experience the world.
Each year at our Annual Conference, we honor outstanding faculty members who teach at our Centers abroad: one professor receives the Instructor of the Year Award while two teachers earn awards for Excellence in Teaching. These are student-nominated awards, and every year hundreds of students participate.
Our Center Directors also recognize teachers in two additional categories: Long-Term Faculty Award and Faculty Innovation Award. The Long-Term Faculty Award is given to a teacher who has taught for IES Abroad for 20 years or more; the Faculty Innovation Award is given to a teacher who uses innovative teaching techniques to inspire students in the classroom. These nominees are then reviewed by a committee made up of members of our Board of Directors, Academic Council, and Curriculum Committee.
Congratulations to our 2015 awardees:
Instructor of the Year Award
Claudia Flores, IES Abroad Santiago
Long-Term Faculty Award
Dr. Bernhard Maleck, IES Abroad Berlin
Excellence in Teaching Award
Rachid Idrissi, IES Abroad Rabat
Dr. Pierpaolo Racciopi, IES Abroad Rome
Long-Term Faculty Award
Dr. Catherine Molteni-Josse, IES Abroad Nantes
Faculty Innovation Award
Jonas Lana, IES Abroad Rio de Janeiro
Claudia Flores, IES Abroad Santiago
Instructor of the Year Award
Professor Claudia Flores has been an integral part of IES Abroad Santiago since 2002, and currently teaches upper level Spanish, including Spanish for Healthcare Practitioners. She has also been the Spanish Coordinator since 2011, which has greatly improved academic quality and student satisfaction in Santiago. Professor Flores was a key member of the team that brought the IES Abroad Map for Language & Intercultural Communication to life, which has made lasting impact on all of IES Abroad’s language programs.
Professor Flores, who holds a Magister in English Linguistics from the University of Chile, has a commitment to quality, innovation, and continuous improvement of the IES Abroad Santiago courses, and is always looking to make the students' experience the best it can be. She puts in a great deal of extra time in preparation for classes, creating exciting Moodle sites for the students to use as a tool in their study, as well as learning how to live comfortably in Chile. She has been instrumental in making course-related excursions more participatory and vital, opening up the city of Santiago to students in an approachable way. Her role in creating Spanish courses for Health and Business have brought many students to Santiago who might not have come. Students have also mentioned how much better they communicated with patients in the local hospitals where they observed.
Her students love her—she is often described as being caring and warm and enthusiastic. Professor Flores offers support on many levels, both inside and outside of class. She creates games and other materials that help students learn in different ways. One of her nominations read: “Claudia was a fantastic Spanish teacher and the principle reason why my experience in Chile was so positive.” Another said simply, “I aspire to be like her one day.”
Dr. Bernhard Maleck, IES Abroad Berlin
Long-Term Faculty Award
Dr. Bernhard Maleck has been teaching for IES Abroad Berlin since 1994. He holds Ph.D.s in Philosophy and Political Science. He teaches Political Science courses, such as the very popular Nation Building and Democratization from the 19th to 21st Century, as well as Berlin’s internship course, Social Market Economy in Germany. Berlin Center Director Dr. Barbara Gugold says that she has never met a single student who has criticized one of his classes.
While anyone can have a thorough understanding of a subject, teaching it to someone else effectively is a very different thing—Dr. Maleck has mastered that ability. Incoming students are often advised by former students to make sure they take the “Maleck” course when in Berlin and most do just that.
Dr. Maleck is able to clearly define goals for his students and help them achieve those goals according to their own strengths. Although his courses are difficult, students rise to that challenge with his motivation and attention. His impact on Berlin’s internship program is substantial, and through Dr. Maleck’s support, many students get deep insight into Germany’s business and public culture.
He is warm-hearted, interculturally sensitive, open, and friendly to both students and staff at IES Abroad Berlin. He is a former recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award, and is regularly nominated for Instructor of the Year. Dr. Maleck is often asked for recommendations from former students for their future work, and students tend to stay in contact with him long after they have left Berlin. He is a teacher who leaves a lifelong impact on his students.
One of the nominations he received from a student this year said, “When he walked into the classroom, my fellow students and I would fall silent with all eyes on him. He commanded the respect of everyone in the room. If I had done nothing else in my time at IES Abroad than to take this class, it would have still been more than worth it.”
Rachid Idrissi, IES Abroad Rabat
Excellence in Teaching Award
Professor Rachid Idrissi speaks five languages, holds a Masters in Middle Eastern Studies and Jewish Culture and Literature from the University of Paris 8 in France, and a Masters in Arabic Language and Literature from the University of Mohamed V in Rabat.
Professor Idrissi teaches at all levels and many variations of Arabic. He is also an expert in Arabic curriculum design and development, which has been helpful in creating our curriculum in Rabat. Professor Idrissi is respected and admired by his colleagues, and well loved and respected from his students, as well. He is selfless with his time to both his students and his colleagues, and is always willing to find creative ways to help the students learn more.
During a recent program review in Rabat, the team who visited his class was very impressed with his style of teaching and how much effort he put into the experience. One student’s nomination noted, “Rachid is a truly amazing teacher. He possesses the rare ability to inspire excellent performance while still maintaining a kind, laid-back attitude that his students find comforting and reassuring in a country very different from the United States.” Rabat Center Director Oussama El Addouli says: “Rachid has an obvious gift for teaching. His ability to connect with his students and his talent at teaching advanced concepts is truly superior.”
Dr. Pierpaolo Racciopi, IES Abroad Rome
Excellence in Teaching Award
Dr. Pierpaolo Racciopi holds a Doctorate in History and Preservation of the Object of Art and Architecture from Universita di Roma TRE, and a Diploma and degree from the Universita La Sapienza in Art History. He has taught for IES Abroad since 2003 and was an Academic Dean in Rome as well, which helped in the development of Rome’s very strong Art History program.
One of his courses, Rome as a Living Museum, is one of the most popular at the Center. This course introduces students to the complexities of a city that coexists with centuries of cultural heritage, and has them discover the diverse phases of urban, architectural, and art historical development through brilliant lectures, inspiring class discussions, and exciting course-related excursions. Dr. Racciopi brings all phases of Rome to life for students who are discovering it for the first time.
One of the several nominations for Dr. Racciopi said, “He dedicates his life to teaching others about HIS city and how it could be YOURS someday, too. Thank you, Professor, you made my study abroad experience remarkable.”
Dr. Catherine Molteni-Josse, IES Abroad Nantes
Long-Term Faculty Award 
Dr. Catherine Molteni-Josse has been teaching for IES Abroad Nantes for 28 years. She holds a Doctorate in Arts and an agrégation (post-Doctorate) in Arts. Dr. Molteni-Josse is an expert in Fine Arts and Art History and has taught at many institutions, including the University of Nantes.
Dr. Molteni-Josse teaches one course each semester, but there is always more than one section of it offered due to its demand and popularity. She is known for offering many course-related excursions and uses Moodle to illustrate her lectures and the work in class.
She has been nominated for Instructor of the Year many times, and her evaluations are always glowing and positive. She contributes her time to the French Language Immersion & Area Studies Program and Center by volunteering her skills outside of class. Most recently, she created two videos commemorating the Nantes Center’s 50th birthday and a recent alumni gathering theatrical performance.
Her students are constantly inspired by her classes. Dr. Molteni-Josse is able to communicate her passion for art to many levels of French-speaking students and inspire them to discover France through the art she loves. One student has described her as a “brilliant and passionate instructor who was inspiring to all of us.” Another noted that her passion for art had "fueled my own career aspirations".
Jonas Lana, IES Abroad Rio de Janeiro
Faculty Innovation Award
Professor Jonas Lana has taken his initial interest in Moodle and IT proficiency and expanded it in the classroom, asking students to do more than simply contribute to online discussions. Instead, they introduce and share content that better prepares them for class, including uploading audiovisual materials, embedding YouTube music videos, and providing written analysis of that material. When students see the pieces provided by their peers, the discussion about it leads to better understanding and knowledge sharing.
Professor Lana also designed an easy to understand Google map for the semester, which helped students locate all of their course-related excursions by location. He also teaches a course called Music and Society in Brazil.
He holds a BA in History and a Masters degree in History and Political Culture from the Federal University of Minas Gerais. Professor Lana is currently writing his doctoral dissertation at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro on Rogério Duprat as arranger for Tropicália, a Brazilian popular music movement from the late 1960s.
Congratulations to all, and thank you for your dedication to our students and the field of study abroad!
