Finalists Selected for Baylor University’s $250,000 Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching

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Three preeminent scholar/teachers from United States universities have been selected as finalists for Baylor University’s 2026 Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching, the only national teaching award – with the single largest monetary reward of $250,000 – presented by a college or university to an individual for exceptional teaching. The winning professor will be announced by Baylor in spring 2026.

The three finalists are:

• Lendol G. Calder, Ph.D., professor of history, Augustana College; 
• Melissa Gross, Ph.D., Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, associate professor of movement science and director of the Behavioral Biomechanics Laboratory in the School of Kinesiology for University of Michigan; and
• James W. Rankin, Ph.D., University Lecturer in German and director of the Princeton Center for Language Study at Princeton University.

As Cherry Award finalists, each professor will receive $15,000, as well as $10,000 for their home departments to foster the development of teaching skills. Each finalist will present a series of lectures at Baylor during fall 2025 and a Cherry Award lecture on their home campuses.

The Cherry Award recipient will receive $250,000 and an additional $25,000 for his or her home department and will teach in residence at Baylor during fall 2026 or spring 2027.

“The Cherry Award seeks to celebrate and inspire great teaching. Cherry Award finalists are teachers who have made a significant, lasting impact on students and often on colleagues and institutions,” said committee chair Kevin Dougherty, Ph.D., professor of sociology and Master Teacher at Baylor. “Baylor University is pleased to offer the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching to advance the University’s enduring commitment to transformational education.”

2026 CHERRY AWARD FINALISTS

Lendol G. Calder

Lendol G. Calder, Ph.D., professor of history at Augustana College, earned his B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1980, and completed his M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Chicago.  

A historian of American consumerism, his 1999 book Financing the American Dream was praised by The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times for its fresh perspective on credit in American life. Other writings examine the history of thrift, home money management and the American debt wish.

A leader in the field of the scholarship of teaching and learning, Calder was a 1999 Carnegie Fellow whose work has reshaped history education in the U.S. and abroad. Focusing on recurrent problems in the teaching of introductory history classes, Calder is renowned for developing a new “signature pedagogy” for the field. A sought-after speaker and consultant, he has worked with the College Board, the Social Science Research Council and the Australian Government.

Melissa Gross

Melissa Gross, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology and director of the Behavioral Biomechanics Laboratory. She also holds a joint appointment in the Stamps School of Art and Design. She earned her Ph.D. in kinesiology (biomechanics) from UCLA. 

A biomechanics researcher noted for her interdisciplinary work, Gross has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles and served on the editorial board for Journal of Applied Biomechanics. A past president and fellow of the American Society of Biomechanics, she has secured over $1.5 million in grant funding from NIH, NSF and Veterans Affairs.

Recognized for excellence in teaching, Gross received the Arthur F. Thurnau Professorship in 2014. She has held leadership roles in academic innovation and digital education, including directing Innovative Teaching and Learning (2013-2019) and Women in Science and Engineering (2019-2024). She currently serves on the Executive Committee for the Michigan Center for Interprofessional Education.

Jamie Rankin

Jamie Rankin, Ph.D., is a University Lecturer in Princeton’s German Department, specializing in second language acquisition, teacher training and curriculum development. In 2015, he was appointed as the inaugural director of the Princeton Center for Language Study, supporting instructors and students across languages with workshops, research resources and professional development.   

His research on teacher training, L2 reading and classroom-based action research has appeared in Die Unterrichtspraxis and the Modern Language Journal. A frequent presenter for the American Association of Teachers of German, he has led workshops on interactive tasks, assessment strategies and vocabulary acquisition.

Rankin co-authored Handbuch zur deutschen Grammatik, now in its 6th edition, and developed der|die|das, an online Beginning German textbook integrating SLA research with vocabulary acquisition. He also has created digital teaching resources, including an interactive website for language instructors using Zoom during the pandemic. In 1996, he received the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching from Princeton University.

ABOUT THE ROBERT FOSTER CHERRY AWARD FOR GREAT TEACHING

The award was created by Robert Foster Cherry, who earned his A.B. from Baylor in 1929. He enrolled in Baylor Law School in 1932 and passed the Texas State Bar Examination the following year. With a deep appreciation for how his life had been changed by significant teachers, he made an exceptional estate bequest to establish the Cherry Award program to recognize excellent teachers and bring them in contact with Baylor students. The first Robert Foster Cherry Award was made in 1991 and has since been awarded biennially.

More information is available on the Cherry Award website.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.