UNC Asheville's Ann Weber Presented UNC Board of Governor's Excellence in Teaching Award

Ann Weber, one of UNC Asheville’s most beloved professors, is among the 16 winners of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors 11th annual Excellence in Teaching Awards. The awards were announced April 7 and will be presented at a special luncheon in Chapel Hill on May 13.

Weber, who joined UNC Asheville’s faculty in 1978, is an expert on interpersonal and social psychology. She is widely recognized by students and faculty alike as an innovative and dynamic professor who brings passion to her subject.

“I remain in awe of Ann’s classroom skills. Sitting in on one of Ann’s classes is not just attending a class, it’s an experience,” said Tracy Brown, UNC Asheville Psychology Department chair and professor. “Ann brings such vigor, energy and creativity to her classes that it becomes impossible not to become involved in the material. The result is a highly engaging classroom experience, rich with ideas and insights, that leaves ideas ricocheting around in one’s mind for days afterwards.”

Her students agree.

“I was fairly certain I would be a psychology major, but there was no turning back after taking my first class with Dr. Weber,” said Liz Poole, a junior psychology major from Morganton. “She is such a dynamic and energetic professor. And she’s funny. She uses a lot of humor in the classroom, which makes even potentially boring topics very interesting.”

Weber is absolutely passionate about teaching. Even as young as age 14, she knew she wanted to be a psychology professor. However, while earning her doctorate degree at Johns Hopkins University, she and her classmates were discouraged from teaching undergraduate courses. But Weber couldn’t be swayed. “I snuck off to a school about 10 miles from campus to teach,” she said. “It’s a tremendous honor to teach undergraduates. Undergraduate classes are where ideas are formed and the futures of disciplines are shaped. I think that it’s the most exciting and important place to teach.”

Students appreciate the enthusiasm she brings to teaching. Senior psychology major Adam Branks from Auckland, New Zealand, said, “Dr. Weber always finds a way to relate the class material to students in a way that is much more fun than any other professor I’ve had. She’s super energetic but also extremely confident. It’s obvious she knows her stuff inside and out.”

Outside the classroom, Weber is a prolific speaker and writer. She is the author or co-author of some 20 books, including the textbook “Psychology: Core Concepts,” which is now in its fifth printing, and “Interpersonal Accounts: A Social Psychological Perspective” and “Social Psychology.”

Weber has also been involved in a number of community service projects, but over the years her focus has been increasingly on caring for animals. More than a decade ago, she founded the UNC Asheville Pet Relief Network. She remains the sole coordinator for this group which provides a forum for University faculty and staff to place rescued or abandoned animals; share pet information; and raise funds to help colleagues and nonprofit animal charities with spay/neuter, medical and rescue efforts. “In the past 10 years, it has become clear to me that taking care of animals is part of the reason I’m on the planet,” said Weber. “I realize that even the simplest things can make a difference and help save an animal’s life.”

Weber’s love of animals and of movies, especially science-fiction and horror flicks, finds its way into special topics courses that she has developed on subjects such as psychology and film, people and animals, environmental issues, consumer psychology and the social psychology of religion.

“I think about teaching all the time,” Weber said. “With every novel that I read, every joke I hear, and every movie I watch, I am thinking about how to weave it into my classes to make the material more and more interesting to my students.

Media Contacts:

• Merianne Epstein, UNC Asheville Public Information Director, 828/251-6676
• Jill Yarnall, UNC Asheville Public Information Assistant Director, 828/251-6526