Kirk Combe, professor of English and a member of the Denison University faculty since 1991, was honored at today’s Academic Awards Convocation as the 2011 winner of the Charles A. Brickman Teaching Excellence Award.

Provost Bradley Bateman said of Combe, “The secret of Kirk’s dedication to liberal education and the teaching of writing is his unwavering belief that ideas matter in the world. Because he believes that ideas matter, he believes that it is worth the effort to teach people how to use them well.”

The Brickman Teaching Excellence Award was established in 1997 in honor of Denison trustee Charles A. Brickman, an alumnus from the class of 1954. Having joined Denison’s Board of Trustees in 1973, Mr. Brickman is a life trustee of the college, and he served as chair of the Board from 1983 to 1998.

The winner of the Brickman Award is chosen annually by a faculty committee of previous awardees, along with the provost and associate provost. Nominees must be tenured members of Denison’s teaching faculty who are models of commitment to teaching and who also have strong records of dedication to students inside and outside the classroom. The recipient must have demonstrated a vibrant interest in the learning process, as well as an understanding of teaching as a continuously evolving art form: someone who embraces the teaching and mentoring of students, not just as a profession, but as a calling.

Combe’s specialty is the Restoration and 18th century British literature, with an emphasis on satire and stage comedy. He teaches upper-level courses in the poetry, prose, drama, and culture of the early modern period and survey courses in early British literature. Combe is the author the novel “2084” and numerous published articles.

Combe received his bachelor’s degree from Davidson College and a master’s from the Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury College. He completed his doctorate of philosophy in literature at Oxford University, England. He has taught at universities in both Europe and the United States. Combe also spent several years playing professional basketball in Switzerland and Germany.