BALTIMORE – A Notre Dame of Maryland University education professor with an extensive background in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) was named the 2024-25 Mullan Distinguished Teacher, the University’s highest faculty honor.
Dr. Christa de Kleine joined the School of Education faculty in 1998, after having served as an adjunct faculty member for two years. In 2000, she launched the University’s TESOL program, including a master’s degree offering, and she has served as its program coordinator ever since. Dr. de Kleine also chairs the doctoral dissertation committees of Ph.D. candidates who focus their research on language or dialectal diversity in education. In 2020, she was named Teacher of the Year in Higher Education by the Maryland TESOL organization.
“Dr. de Kleine has proven an ability to move from instructor to mentor to colleague to the benefits of her students, her discipline, and her profession,” said Dr. Martha Walker, provost and vice president of academic affairs. “[She] models the best of education at Notre Dame: a commitment to the best in teaching bolstered by influential scholarship in the field and also by dedication to student success.”
Dr. de Kleine’s research encompasses several strands. Her Ph.D. dissertation analyzed the variation of Dutch spoken in Suriname, South America. She has also studied the writing skills of students who are speakers of English-based creole languages from West Africa and the Caribbean enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. As the principal investigator on grant-funded research, she focused on the knowledge and beliefs regarding second-language learning and teaching among English language instructors in Panama, where she has taught TESOL courses as a visiting professor since 2008. More recently, she has studied linguistically diverse students at the community college level.
Presented annually at commencement, the Mullan Distinguished Teacher Award recognizes excellence in teaching and significant contributions to Notre Dame and the broader community. Since 1976, the University has selected one faculty member for the award based on nominations from Notre Dame administrators, faculty, and students.
Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best "Regional Universities North" by U.S. News & World Report.
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