UMass Amherst Physics Faculty Member Brokk Toggerson Awarded 2024 Manning Prize for Teaching Excellence
Brokk Toggerson, senior lecturer in physics, is one of five exceptional University of Massachusetts faculty awarded the 2024 Manning Prize for Excellence in Teaching, an annual $10,000 stipend given to one faculty member from each campus in recognition of exemplary teaching and commitment to students and their campus community.
Toggerson has made transformative contributions to education and inclusivity. He joined the UMass faculty in 2015 and quickly distinguished himself through his dynamic and inclusive approach to teaching large introductory physics courses. Colleagues and students unanimously praise his impact and recognize his deep commitment to inclusivity and student success.
He transformed the large physics courses he teaches – often perceived as barriers to success particularly for underserved students – into learning spaces of inquiry and problem-solving through his innovative teaching methods and a teaching philosophy that emphasizes “depth over breadth.” His department chair praises him as a “master at Team-Based Learning (TBL)” and “a shining example of the power of well-informed innovation in teaching.”
Toggerson, who holds a doctorate in physics from the University of California Irvine, is a highly respected educator who has made significant contributions to the field of education. He is recognized by his colleagues for his “pioneering work on using open educational practices in his teaching.” He created a free online textbook that saved students more than $1.3 million over the past eight years. This achievement earned him the title of OER Champion by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education’s Open Education Advisory Board in 2022.
His significant achievements reflect a commitment to educational excellence, inclusivity, and innovation, profoundly influencing the UMass Amherst community and setting a high standard for teaching excellence. His contributions to the field of education have been recognized by his peers and students alike, and he continues to inspire future educators to strive for excellence and inclusivity in their teaching practices.
Former UMass Board of Trustees Chair Robert Manning and his wife Donna Manning, graduates of UMass Lowell, established the endowed teaching award in 2016. In 2021, they made a $50 million gift to UMass – the largest in UMass history at the time – a portion of which established an endowment to fund the Manning Prize in perpetuity. With the selection of this year’s winners, 45 UMass faculty members now have the distinct honor of being Manning Prize recipients.
Robert received a bachelor’s degree in information systems management from UMass Lowell in 1984 and Donna earned a nursing degree in 1985 and an MBA in 1991 also from the Lowell campus.
“Having had excellent professors who played an important role in our college experiences, Donna and I are extremely proud to be able to recognize outstanding faculty from each of the campuses every year,” said Robert Manning. “Faculty members shape lives and this prize is intended to be a recognition of these faculty members’ unique contributions to their students and their campus.”
Rob Manning, who retired as the executive chairman of MFS Investment Management, is a former chairman of the UMass Board of Trustees and the current Chair of the UMass Foundation Board of Directors. Donna worked as an oncology nurse at Boston Medical Center for 33 years until her retirement in 2018. They are among the largest contributors to UMass in its history and each received an honorary doctor of humane letters from UMass Lowell in 2011.
“We are extremely grateful to Rob and Donna for their incredible generosity and lifelong commitment to UMass,” said UMass President Marty Meehan. “In addition to recognizing our amazing faculty, their philanthropy reaches every campus and supports students, facilities and research. They have a legacy of leadership and philanthropy here that will benefit UMass students, faculty, and staff for decades to come.”
The Manning Prize is open to all full-time faculty, tenured and non-tenured. Each campus has a nomination and selection process, which includes student and peer input to ensure that the selected faculty members meet the criteria of being excellent teachers and engaged members of the campus community.