School of Education Faculty to Be Honored at 2026 Celebration of Teaching

By Sofia Del Fine
August 28, 2026

Three UC Irvine School of Education faculty members will be recognized for excellence in teaching at the 2026 Celebration of Teaching. 

Janice Hansen, director of undergraduate programs, will be honored as Lecturer of the Year, while Assistant Professor Katherine Rhodes will be recognized as the School of Education’s Dean’s Honoree for Excellence in Teaching award. Lecturer Julie Chiaverini is also among those receiving university-wide recognition. 
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Hansen leads the School’s undergraduate programs and has played an important role in shaping the undergraduate student experience. Rhodes teaches research methods and statistics, designing courses that help make often-intimidating subjects approachable while building students’ skills in research design and data literacy. A continuing appointment lecturer who has been with the School of Education since 2015, Chiaverini has taught in both the undergraduate and MAT programs, earning high praise from students in her child development and literacy courses.

From left: Julie Chiaverini, Janice Hansen, Julie Washington, Katherine Rhodes

“It’s wonderful to have an opportunity to celebrate the teaching excellence that is such an important part of our School’s culture,” Hansen said. “I’m honored to be named Lecturer of the Year and to celebrate alongside my colleagues Kathy and Julie. These awards reflect not only our individual work, but the commitment across the School of Education to create meaningful learning experiences for our students.” 
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The annual Celebration of Teaching honors educators across UCI for their teaching excellence and contributions to student learning. This year’s event will take place on September 17 from 4–6:30 p.m. at the Division of Continuing Education as part of UCI Teach Day.

The School of Education congratulates Hansen, Rhodes, and Chiaverini on this recognition and their contributions to our students and School community.