Academic Achievements

Recent Doctoral Candidates

Many congratulations to the following doctoral students who successfully defended their dissertations in the past year:

Pamela Phillips (2005)
"Beyond Subjective Well-Being"
Advisor: Fred Miller

Ben Dixon (2005)
"Toward a Leopoldian Theory of Moral Progress"
Advisor: Don Scherer
Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Robert Bass (2004)
"Toward a Constructivist Eudaemonism"
Advisor: Ned McClennen.
Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of North Florida.

Steve Weimer Receives First Annual Michael H. Robins Award

Steve Weimer and Mrs Michael (Denise) Robins

Mike Robins earned his bachelors degree from the University of Illinois and his graduate degrees from Northwestern University. He was a member of the Bowling Green State University Philosophy Department from 1969 until his untimely death in 2002. He had a deep interest in the metaphysical presuppositions of human action and practical rationality and took a Kantian approach to these issues. His major work was Promising, Intending and Moral Autonomy which he published with Cambridge University Press in 1984. At the time of his death he was nearing completion of a second book on the theory of practical reason. This award is given in his memory to the author of the strongest paper submitted by a second year graduate student for the M.A. Exam/Ph.D. Qualifying Exam. The award is made possible by memorial donations from his graduate students, friends and colleagues.

Steve Weimer graduated with a major in Philosophy from Frostburg State University in western Maryland. His main interest is in political philosophy. His paper is titled “Imperfect Inclination: the Possibility of Leibnizian Akrasia”. It was written initially for Professor Lon Becker’s History of Modern Philosophy class. After undergoing revisions, Steve submitted it in partial fulfillment of the M.A./Ph.D. Qualifying Exam and the examination committee selected it for the Robins’ Award. Steve also presented it at the Society for Student Philosophers meeting at the American Philosophical Association Central Division meeting in April, 2005.

Steve would be more than happy to send a copy to anyone who is interested in reading it. You can contact him by e-mail at sweimer@bgsu.edu.

New Louis I. Katzner Graduate Teaching Awards

This year also saw the first official recognition of excellence in teaching by graduate students. In order to show their appreciation for and encouragement of the teaching done by graduate students as teachers within the department, Louis and Linda Katzner have made an endowment which will fund two annual awards for graduate students.

One award is for outstanding work as a Teaching Assistant in a class taught by a full-time faculty member. The other award is for outstanding work as an independent instructor of their own class.

The first awards were made in October 2005.

The recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award for 2005 was Jason Snyder (below, left).

The recipient of the Outstanding Independent Instructor Award for 2005 was Aaron Simmons (below, right).

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