Philanthropist Praises Recipient of 2022 Richard Lublin Teaching Award

Duke alumnus and philanthropist Richard Lublin, formerly of Avon, CT and now a resident of Naples, FL, today congratulated Dr. Kusum Knapcyzk, Duke University’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences Lecturer of Hindi Language in the department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, for being chosen to receive the 2022 Richard K. Lublin Teaching Award. Knapcyzk is the 36th recipient of the Lublin teaching scholarship since it was first awarded to two winners in 1993.

Lublin encouraged other philanthropists to endow additional teaching awards at colleges and universities across the country. “Recognizing teaching excellence benefits many beyond the one receiving the award,” said Lublin. “An endowed teaching scholarship allows a college or university to recognize its most dedicated faculty. And it extends the ability of standout college professors like Dr. Knapcyzk to encourage intellectual excitement in their classroom, investigate new methods of teaching, and inspire students to find their passions.”

Lublin added, “I hope those who have the means, will step up and endow a teaching award at an educational institution that is close to their heart.”

Dr. Knapczyk has taught Hindi language and literature at institutions across the U.S. including the University of Wisconsin, Madison, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Colorado Boulder, and the University of Pennsylvania. She has been published in numerous Hindi newspapers and magazines, co-authored Reading Hindi: Novice to Intermediate, and has won multiple awards for her authorship, service, and activism. Her research interests include the history of Hindi language and literature, Hindi language pedagogy, and Urdu poetry. As a professor at Duke University, students said:

“Dr. Knapczyk has made it one of her primary goals to give us real-world experiences and interactions with the topics that we explore in the classroom…Every semester, [she] has exposed us to various aspects of Indian culture and allowed us to explore different issues.”

The Richard K. Lublin Award is one of four endowed distinguished teaching awards presented annually within the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences at Duke University. Lublin established the award in 1993 to recognize undergraduate teaching excellence in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences at Duke University. The winner receives $5,000 and is officially recognized at the Founders’ Day Convocation ceremony.