Marquette exercise science professor honored with Teaching Excellence Award

June 11, 2019


michael danduran headshot

MILWAUKEE — Michael Danduran, clinical associate professor of exercise science in the College of Health Sciences at Ӱ, is the recipient of a Marquette Teaching Excellence Award.  

Danduran has spent more than 20 years working with children in a clinical setting. He says it’s this type of work that helped shape his classroom philosophy.

“With kids, there’s this enthusiasm required for participation — and I carried that style into the classroom at Marquette,” Danduran said. “It’s a challenge because you have 50-some students coming through on a given day with different moods and keeping them engaged can be tough.”

Danduran’s students say they appreciate his commitment to enthusiastic teaching. “Mr. Danduran was a phenomenal professor who made class fun and interactive on a daily basis,” one former student wrote.  

“I teach through stories, through daily experiences and through human expressions. It allows for a human side to the textbook descriptions of clinical scenarios,” Danduran said. “At the end of the day, we work for these students, and giving them anything less than our best—than our learned experiences — is cheating them.”

As another of his students said in her recommendation letter, “Mr. Danduran has left a lasting impact on me as a current student and future clinician ... [he] should be presented with the Teaching Excellence Award because of his commitment to his students. He is actively shaping the future clinicians of the world. Nothing would serve him more than to know his work and energy he pours into his students is recognized.”

Teaching Excellence Awards are the highest honor bestowed upon Marquette faculty members. Recipients are nominated by colleagues and students for demonstrating excellence as teacher-scholars.


About Shelby Williamson

Shelby Williamson

Shelby is a senior communication specialist in the Office of Marketing and Communication. Contact Shelby at (414) 288-6712 or shelby.williamson@marquette.edu