University of Portland News

Posted: 09-12-2012
Contact: John Furey, Joe Kuffner

Professor Laura McLary named top foreign language teacher in Oregon

University of Portland German professor Laura McLary has been named the top foreign language teacher in Oregon, receiving the 2012 COFLT (Confederation in Oregon for Foreign Languages Teaching) Award for Excellence in Foreign Language instruction at the university level.

McLary is the second UP professor to win this award, with Spanish professor Kate Regan receiving it in 2000.

The University introduced the now thriving German Studies major in 2004, with dozens of graduates going on to earn Fulbright scholarships to Germany and Austrian Government Teaching Assistantships. The University annually being ranked at or near the top among peer institutions in producing Fulbright scholars is due in no small part to the German Studies program and McLary’s work with students.

McLary has been published in several academic journals, and her teaching and research interests include Austrian culture and literature, German film and cultural studies. She is also an expert on Austrian poet Georg Trakl.

The University of Portland is Oregon's Catholic university and has been closely affiliated for more than a century with the Congregation of Holy Cross in South Bend, Indiana. U.S. News & World Report ranks the institution as one of the top ten regional universities in the American West. It is the only school in Oregon to offer a College of Arts & Sciences, a graduate school, and nationally accredited programs in the schools of business, education, engineering, and nursing.

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