Each year, the University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts recognizes instructors who demonstrate exceptional dedication to undergraduate teaching. The Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award honors non-tenure-track instructors whose passion, commitment, and excellence in teaching have had a meaningful influence on their students.
The 2026 award recipients have each made longstanding contributions to the College in the Schools (CIS) program, supporting student success through their teaching and their leadership as faculty coordinators.
Lydia Belatèche is a senior lecturer in the Department of French and Italian. She has served as the CIS faculty coordinator for French since 2023, after serving as faculty coordinator assistant from 1999 to 2022.
Charles McNamara is an instructor in the Department of Classical & Near Eastern Religions & Cultures and has served as the CIS faculty coordinator for Classics since 2022.*
We congratulate Lydia and Charles on this well-deserved recognition and are grateful for their many contributions to the University and the College in the Schools program.
You can learn more about the Award and the recipients on the 2026 Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Awardees web page.
*Charles recently accepted a full-time position as assistant professor of Classics at the University of Georgia, where he will begin teaching in fall 2026.
