Six University of Iowa professors have been named Collegiate Fellows of the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) in recognition of their distinguished teaching, research, and service. The 2012 Collegiate Fellows are Leslie Baxter, Ruth Bentler, Florence Boos, John Finamore, David Gompper, and Thomas Lewis.

"This award recognizes senior faculty whose distinction in teaching and scholarship is matched by exceptional leadership in service to the university, the college, and their departments," says CLAS Dean Linda Maxson. "All these faculty have displayed a deep commitment to the college and the university as a whole, giving generously of their time, talents, and energy. I am pleased to be able to recognize their achievements and honor their dedication."

Collegiate Fellow awards are supported by a gift from the late R.F. and Maryon E. Ladwig and carry a discretionary fund to support the Fellow’s teaching and research.

Leslie Baxter,professor of communication studies, is a highly visible, prolific, and pioneering scholar of communication, whose research explores taboos and turning points in personal relationships. Her theory of “relational dialectics”—a construct for understanding the core tensions inherent in all relationships—has been developed in more than 100 book chapters and journal articles, two books, and four co-edited collections. She has also co-authored a textbook on communication research. She has received the National Communication Association’s Distinguished Scholar Award and the Berscheid-Hatfield Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Network of Personal Relationship Researchers, among many other honors. She serves on the editorial boards of four scholarly journals and is director of graduate studies in her department.

Ruth Bentler,professor of communication sciences and disorders, is among the world’s leading authorities on hearing aids, the design of clinical trials of amplification devices, and the evaluation of benefits to users. Her innovative research has led to clinical applications that have benefited large numbers of people in their daily lives. She has published widely in audiology and acoustics journals, and has co-authored a textbook, currently in press. Her commitment to educating both practitioners and researchers is evident in her many articles and book chapters directed to clinicians and her many invited presentations, delivered nationally and internationally. She has been active in her department’s teaching and service project in China and in the Special Olympics. She currently chairs her department.

Florence Boos,professor of English, has an international reputation as an authority on British poet and artist William Morris. Her new book, Love and Work Enough: The Early Writings of William Morris, will be published this year. Among her earlier works is the first annotated critical edition of Morris’s verse sequence The Earthly Paradise. She is general editor of the Morris Online Edition and serves on the editorial boards of five international academic journals devoted to 19th century British literature. Boos has been recognized with the Graduate College’s Outstanding Mentor Award and with a UI Council on Teaching Excellence in Teaching Award.

John Finamore,professor of classics, is a major figure in classical philosophy, particularly neo-Platonism, and an international authority on the third-century philosopher Iamblichus. He has published prolifically, with two books, five co-authored volumes, and many journal articles that treat a wide range of issues bearing on ancient concepts of the soul and intellect. He is president of the U.S. section of the International Society of Neo-Platonic Studies, and editor of the Society’s International Journal of the Platonic Tradition. He has served as chair of his department, and he pioneered the offering of the department’s courses in Greek and Latin via distance learning.

David Gompper,professor of music, is a distinguished composer whose works have premiered in Carnegie Hall, the Moscow Conservatory, and other major venues. His compositions and his artistry as a pianist can be heard on nearly 20 CDs, the most recent featuring his violin concerto performed by London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. As director of the UI Center for New Music, he forges unique ensembles of instrumentalists and vocalists from among UI faculty, students, and visiting artists to perform “the music of our time” in annual concert series. He has received the Arts and Letters Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the 2011 Aaron Copeland Award.

Thomas Lewis,professor of Spanish and Portuguese, is internationally known for his prolific and wide-ranging scholarship on critical theory and Hispanic literature. His theoretical works—including the monographs Notas para una teoría del referente and La transformación de la teoría—discuss ideology, social formations, gender issues, and literature in ways that have influenced a generation of scholars. Recently he has published on Latin American culture and politics. He serves on the editorial boards of the International Socialist Review and the University of Minnesota’s Hispanic Issues Series and has served as chair of his department. He is a pioneer in using student-centered technology in the classroom and has received the College’s Helen Kechriotis Nelson Teaching Award.