The Nevada Sagebrush

Tom Nickles, a philosophy professor, was recently awarded the Nevada Professor of the Year Award. Photo Courtesy of University of Nevada, Reno Media Services

When Tom Nickles’ colleagues learned that he’d been awarded Nevada Professor of the Year this month, they weren’t surprised.

Nickles, who has taught at the University of Nevada, Reno for 33 years, does more than just teach philosophy. He helped launch the core humanities requirement and curriculum, teaches at the Davidson Academy in the summers and sits on several graduate committees on subjects spanning from music to hard sciences to his area of expertise, social sciences.

“It’s so well-deserved,” said history professor Bruce Moran, who has worked with Nickles since 1976.

The honor, awarded by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, was given to 38 professors nationwide this year. Nickles is the seventh professor from UNR to earn the award in the past 10 years. He accepted the award in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 19.

Nickles’ accolades as a professor come from a rocky start, he said.

“I was absolutely horrid when I started out,” Nickles recalled. “I’m very shy. Appearing in front of classes was terrifying for me. I would script whole classes, in fear of not knowing what to say.”

Despite his hesitations at the beginning of his career, Nickles hid them well, and some co-workers thought his lengthy notes meant extra preparation.

“I would come into class prepared with one or two pages of an outline. Tom would come in with 20,” said Moran, who has team-taught several courses with Nickles.

“Tom is extremely knowledgeable and an enthusiastic teacher,” Moran said. “His enthusiasm is contagious. The students get all together caught up in not just the subject but the enthusiasm of their teacher. Every sentence he utters has got volumes behind it. You know how some teachers are sort of winging it — Tom could talk on his subjects for days.”

Nickles has seen the change in himself too, as he now can “blabber without any notes,” he said, laughing.

“It was a very pleasant surprise,” Nickles said of the award.

For his colleagues, they say the only surprise was that he didn’t win it sooner.

“Those of us who know Tom and have worked with him gave him this award a long time ago,” Moran said.

Jessica Fryman can be reached at jfryman@nevadasaegbrush.com.

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