Miami University’s Associated Student Government will soon announce the recipient for its long tradition of Outstanding Professor Award (OPA).

Every Graduating Senior (December 2022, January 2023, May 2023) has the option to nominate an exceptional professor that they have had in the classroom or have worked with in an academic capacity. The OPAs provide students with the opportunity to recognize a faculty member who had an exceptional impact on their Miami experience. This award is designed to honor the diligence and commitment displayed by these exemplary professors.

Four of the ten recipients come from the College of Creative Arts (CCA): Todd Stuart (Arts Management and Entrepreneurship); Molly Moran (Emerging Technology in Business + Design); Ashley Goos (Dance/Theatre); Stephanie Danker (Art). Graduating seniors nominated these professors for their exceptional impact on their Miami experience.

Learn more about the nominees below.

STEPHANIE DANKER

Stephanie Harvey Danker is an associate professor of art education who started at Miami in 2014. She is passionate about preparing future art educators to contribute in meaningful ways towards growth in their students and communities. She is committed to creating integrated learning experiences with students and colleagues, and dedicated to expanding awareness, critical thinking and empathy through art experiences.

Dr. Danker earned her doctorate in art education through University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). She holds a master's degree in art education from Virginia Commonwealth University. A native of Virginia, she taught art in Fairfax County Public Schools (VA) for six years. Before coming to Miami University, she taught art education courses at Coastal Carolina University, UIUC, Wichita State University (WSU) and James Madison University (JMU). In addition to teaching, she has served as an education consultant for the Ulrich Museum of Art (on WSU’s campus) and Sawhill Gallery (on JMU’s campus). 

Research interests include: place-based art integration; social justice; teacher professional development in art museums; reflective practice; visual culture; collaborations between university studio and art education faculty; contemporary art and art education pedagogy.

Research interests specific to Miami University’s context: Freedom Summer Project of 1964, Myaamia culture and imagery. She is proud to be a faculty affiliate with the Myaamia Center.

ASHLEY GOOS

Ashley is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre and the Director of the dance program. She is a dance artist, educator, and somatics practitioner. She has set work at the Bourdelle Museum in Paris; Missouri State University in Springfield, MO; Miami University; The School for Creative and Performing Arts; Moving Current in Tampa, FL; the Cincinnati Fringe Festival; the Area Choreographer’s Festival 2018; and for Gallery 621 in Tallahassee, FL. She has danced for Alex Ketley, Emily Johnson, Yanira Castro, Rodger Belman, Heather Britt, Diane Germaine, and Loren Davidson.

In the fall of 2017 Ashley was a Full Time Guest Artist at Missouri State University, and has also worked as an adjunct professor of dance at Xavier University, Northern Kentucky University, Miami University, The School for Creative and Performing Arts, and Thomas Moore University. Ashley’s writing has been published in See Chicago Dance.com, the National Dance Educators Organization’s Guest Series, and Dansdocent.nu (the Dutch version of Dance Teacher Magazine).”

Ashley has also provided administrative consultation and development support for non-profit arts organizations around the United States. Some of her administrative partners include See Chicago Dance, The Cincinnati Ballet, The Kentucky Shakespeare Festival (Louisville, KY), and Same Planet Different World Dance Theatre (Chicago, IL). 

She received her MFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from Florida State University and her BA in Theatre from Miami University.

MOLLY MORAN

Molly Moran is an associate lecturer in Emerging Technology in Business + Design, and is affiliated with the program in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.  She teaches courses on digital design, design thinking, public interest technology, and social issues in design.  Molly is committed to creating inclusive learning environments that challenge undergraduates and encourage them to become socially aware designers and technologists, with a strong sense of their own creative courage.

Before she came to Miami in 2019, Molly designed award-winning, high-profile digital and interactive media for the federal government.  The majority of her work was for the U.S. Department of State, shaping the new practice of eDiplomacy by designing and developing websites, mobile apps, and data dashboards for diplomats around the world, including Secretaries of State John Kerry and Hillary Rodham Clinton.  Prior to her work in the federal government, Molly designed content for educational websites at PBS. 

Molly earned her master’s in Communication, Culture, and Technology from Georgetown University, and her bachelor’s in English Literature from the Catholic University of America.  

TODD STUART

Todd Stuart is an Associate Teaching Professor and the Director of the Arts Management & Arts Entrepreneurship program at Miami University. During his time at Miami, he has re-envisioned the program creating two minors, a co-major, and a new BA in Art Management & Arts Entrepreneurship. 

He holds an MFA and MBA from the University of South Carolina and a BA from the University of Florida. He also has completed the Babson Fellows Program for Entrepreneurship Educators at Babson College.

Prior to teaching, Todd worked professionally as a theatre designer/artisan and as an entrepreneur involved in start-ups in art, design, and consumer goods. His research interests are centered on the intersection of arts entrepreneurship with strategy, innovation and design thinking.

He has been on the board since its founding and is the current President of the Society for Arts Entrepreneurship Education. He is also a member and the program at Miami is an institutional member of the Association of Art Administration Educators. He is a co-recipient of the top scholarly award in the field of Arts Entrepreneurship - SAEE's Gary D. Beckman Research Award in Arts Entrepreneurship.

Todd is an active Arts Entrepreneur. He is currently writing a guidebook on Creativity, Innovation, and Design Thinking and creating Arts Entrepreneurship videos for an art school in Japan. He regularly exhibits his fine art photography in galleries, pop-ups, office buildings, and art fairs around the US and internationally. He is a juried member of the international art collective ArtCan. 

In the US, his work has been exhibited in group shows at A. Smith Gallery, AE Backus Gallery, The Atlanta Photography Group, Praxis Gallery, Midwest Center for Photography, Pop Revolution Gallery, PhotoPlace Gallery, the Miami University Art Museum, the Dayton Artist Society and Mohawk Gallery as part of the 2020 FotoFocus Biennial. In 2020, Todd had his first solo exhibition in the Art Lobby/Miami University. 

Internationally, his work has been exhibited at PS21 Gallery in Budapest and currently has work at the Shard and News Building in London, England. He is part of a juried team of 15 artists representing ArtCan at the Supermarket - Stockholm Independent Art Fair 2022 in Stockholm Sweden.