President's Award Paul D. Eisenberg

FACULTY and STAFF news from the campuses of Indiana University

President's Award, Paul D. Eisenberg

Photo by: Paul Martens

Paul D. Eisenberg
Professor of Philosophy, College of Arts and Sciences, University Graduate School, Adjunct Professor, Jewish Studies Program, College of Arts and Sciences, IU Bloomington

"Paul has never been less than fully dedicated to teaching, never less than superbly prepared and intellectually conscientious, never less than sincerely respectful of the deepest ideals of the academy."

—Karen Hanson, Rudy Professor and chair, Department of Philosophy, IUB

Paul Eisenberg's teaching statement begins with a quote from Goethe: "In any case, I hate everything that merely instructs me without augmenting or directly invigorating my activity." Eisenberg's own work goes far beyond instruction—he has made a direct and positive impact on the learning and lives of countless students and colleagues.

Eisenberg's areas of interest include the history of ethics, 19th-century continental philosophy and the philosophers Spinoza and Nietzsche. The courses he has taught range from "Ancient Greek Philosophy" to "Introduction to Existentialism." In addition, he always takes on many students each semester for independent reading courses and individual seminars, and serves as an adviser to honors theses, directs and serves on dissertation committees and leads informal reading groups. He also has been a mentor of minority students since 1998, taught "great books" courses in the Honors College and introductory philosophy to Intensive Freshman Seminar students in the summers, and served as an adjunct professor in Jewish studies.

Eisenberg says that he is sustained as a teacher by the hope that, "if I do my part well, sooner or later something that my students have read or said or that I have said to them will yield a new or a deepened significance and at least the beginning of wisdom."

A list of Eisenberg's service commitments at IU—including serving as president of the Bloomington Faculty Council and co-secretary of the University Faculty Council from 1993 to 1995—fills several pages. Some that are directly related to teaching include membership on the University Graduate School's committee on Ph.D. requirements, the Jerusalem Overseas Study Committee, the Dean of the Faculties' committee on instructional development fellowships, and the Trustees' Committee on Learning: Teaching and Scholarship. He also has held the position of director of graduate studies for philosophy and served as the department's associate instructor trainer. Among other honors, he was awarded the Pinnell Award for distinguished service to the university in 1998, and in 2001 was elected to the Faculty Colloquium on Excellence in Teaching and received the Trustees Teaching Award.

Eisenberg has served three times as chair of his department and is remembered for his visits to all courses, each semester, of every junior faculty member.

IU Home Pages
400 E. 7th Street. Bloomington, IN 47405
Phone: (812) 855-6494

Publication date: March 1, 2002
Comments: homepgs@indiana.edu
Copyright 2000, The Trustees of Indiana University