Portrait of Donald Demetriades

Donald Demetriades

Donald Demetriades, assistant teaching professor of philosophy, has won the 2021 Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society Anna K. Fridley, Distinguished Teaching Award for a faculty member whose accomplishments with students reach beyond the classroom and the library. The award carries a $1,000 prize.

Demetriades has taught large introductory philosophy and ethics courses in the Department of History and Philosophy for 20 years. In addition, he has taught in the Honors College for 14 years, where he has taught Texts and Critics’ freshmen seminars as well as the popular advanced seminar “The Arts and Science of Medicine,” for which there is always a waiting list. He also developed an honors course on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on several populations for the inaugural MSU Snowmester.

Demetriades is said to be incredibly dedicated and “inspired, creative, undaunted and extremely thoughtful” in his approach to his students. His nominator, colleague Ann Bertagnolli, who serves with him on the Texts and Critics annual syllabus review committee, said that the course syllabus benefits from Demetriades’ sensitivity to how students will benefit from the texts that are used.

“Don is a master teacher, fully dedicated, sensitive and generous in all he does,” Bertagnolli wrote. “Don’s students appreciate and respect him – they recognize his genuine commitment to providing an excellent learning experience for them and helping them to achieve their own academic and life goals.”

Ilse-Mari Lee, dean of the Honors College, said that Demetriades’ work has positively impacted generations of students, particularly those who go into medicine after taking his honors course on medical ethics.

“Don has dedicated his life and career to teaching the students of Montana State University,” Lee wrote. “He has done so with excellence each and every day.”