In February, Stephanie Wells, OLLI educator extraordinaire, received the OLLI at UC Berkeley 2025 "Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award" at a joyous ceremony held at Freight & Salvage in downtown Berkeley. The event was attended by many members, fans and friends, plus a line-up of speakers: Susan Hoffman, Assistant Dean of Lifelong Learning/OLLI Director; Richard Russo, Dean of Extended Education; Linda Wing, educator and co-chair of OLLI's Curriculum Committee; Janice Jackson, educator and member; Tom Lederer, educator and member; and, of course, Stephanie herself.
"We instituted this award as a way to formally recognize the faculty who make the OLLI at Berkeley learning experience such an enriching one for our members,” explains OLLI Director Susan Hoffman.
“Stephanie has taught more than 20 courses with us, shining a light on literature by underrepresented voices, asking essential questions, providing insights that challenge and deepen understanding of both the text and the world. She is truly exceptional, making the classroom a dynamic and inclusive learning environment.”
Stephanie has a B.A. from Berkeley, M.A. from University of Virginia, and Ph.D. from UC Davis, with a focus on modernism and postmodernism in American and British novels and poetry. She has been a literature professor for over 25 years and currently teaches at College of Marin.
Berkeley professors Beverly Crawford, Bruce Elliott, Linda Rugg, Darren Zook, Alex Saragoza, and Daniel Kammen are past recipients.