Lecturer Ilse Genovese Wins Excellence in Teaching Award!

The Universities at Shady Grove recognizes outstanding staff and faculty on campus

Congratulations to Ilse Genovese, Lecturer in the Department of Communication at the Universities at Shady Grove, for receiving the Kendall Award for excellence in teaching. Each year, the Universities at Shady Grove recognizes outstanding staff and faculty at the campus, in four categories, with the USG Board of Advisors’ Kendall Service Awards, which are named for longtime USG benefactors Clifford and Camille Kendall.

Genovese's students describe her as going "beyond her professional responsibilities and advocating passionately for continuous improvement in the services provided, ensuring that all students, present, and future, can achieve success." One student noted, "with educators like Professor Genovese on campus at UMD, I am feel more confident returning to my studies after dropping out previously." 

In her acceptance remarks, Genovese reminded attendees of the importance of teachers in their student's lives, saying "For me, teaching is more than imparting knowledge; it is encouraging young people to see and meet their potential. The inscrutable faces directed at me at the beginning of each semester expect that of me. And, if, at the end, that expectation has turned into confidence that they are a step closer to fulfilling their dreams, then my job is done."

Genovese, who teaches Communication and Digital Media, Communication and Digital Imaging, plus other selected topics in Communication, has been teaching since 2020. She earned her M.A. in Integrated Design from the University of Baltimore in 2021 and a B.A. in Communication from the University of Maryland in 2016. She also has M.A. in Interpreting and Translation (English & German) from the Czech Republic. She has extensive working experience in editorial graphic design, and her research interests encompass multimedia content design and user experience.

Each year, she encourages her students to present their work at the Universities' annual film and digital media festival and "to be proud of their hard work."