Neal Fleisher DMD 84 PERIO 86, a clinical professor in the Department of General Dentistry at the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM), is one of two winners of the 2019 Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching.
“It is a privilege to call Dr. Fleisher a colleague, and I know I speak for the entire GSDM community when I say how deeply proud I am of him,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter.
The Metcalf Awards are one of the university’s highest honors and are given annually to members of the faculty who demonstrate excellence in teaching in the context of a research institution. Each year, the Provost’s Faculty Teaching Awards Committee selects one Metcalf Cup and Prize winner and up to two Metcalf Award winners.
Students, alumni, staff, and members of the faculty at Boston University are invited to nominate candidates for the Metcalf Awards. Over the course of the year, the committee solicits and reviews supporting materials from nominated candidates, and members of the committee visit the classes of the finalists, before presenting their recommendations to the University President. The Cup and Prize and the Awards are presented annually at Commencement.
Dr. Fleisher was educated to be a dentist, not a teacher. As he himself noted in an essay written as part of the award process, his knowledge of teaching was confined to what he had seen from his own teachers. Yet over his 33-year career with GSDM, he has dedicated himself to both the art and science of teaching, always seeking for innovative and effective ways to engage students in deep, meaningful learning.
This quest for improvement has led Dr. Fleisher to surprising places, like the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Dr. Fleisher found that leading students through careful observation of and discussion about art helped improve their observation and communication skills and their ability to listen to those whose opinions differed from their own.
Dr. Fleisher has also been a leading proponent for teaching GSDM students “critical thinking,” developing a standalone course on the subject and embedding critical thinking across the curriculum. He has taught, mentored, and advised thousands of students during his 33 years as an educator at GSDM – but he hasn’t limited his influence on GSDM’s educational environment just to students. Dr. Fleisher also “teaches the teachers,” as one nomination letter noted. He is exceedingly generous in mentoring his colleagues – many of whom, like Dr. Fleisher, were educated to be dentists, not teachers – and helping them improve their own pedagogical skill.
Dr. Fleisher graduated from GSDM in 1984 and completed a certificate of advanced graduate studies (CAGS) in Periodontology in 1986. He currently serves as director of Faculty Development, program director of Predoctoral Periodontology, clinical professor in the Department of General Dentistry, course director for Current Topics in Dentistry, Critical Thinking, Clinical Periodontics, Periodontology II, Preclinical Predoctoral Program, and co-course director for Pre-Clinical Implantology.
For more information on Dr. Fleisher and the other Metcalf winners, click here.