Dr. David Martyn, professor of German and Russian Studies, has been awarded the 2026 Jack and Marty Rossmann Excellence in Teaching Award that recognizes “a faculty member who has been identified by colleagues and students as exemplifying the teaching goals of Macalester College.”
Macalester Executive Vice President and Provost Lisa Anderson-Levy announced the award and read from this citation:
Professor David Martyn: We are delighted to present you with the 2026 Jack and Marty Rossmann Excellence in Teaching Award.
As a professor of German and Russian Studies, you joined the faculty in 2003, and have taught all levels of the language-sequence courses. Since your arrival at Mac, you’ve also developed and designed more than two dozen new courses. Many of these offerings highlight your expertise in comparative literature and critical theory; others have been developed alongside colleagues across departments and tackle a host of interdisciplinary topics—from theater to religion. With each new course, the Macalester community benefits from your thoughtful commitment to creating immersive, integrated experiences that adapt to evolving student interests.
Year after year, students praise your innovative teaching techniques that center two core domains of the liberal arts: reading and writing. While examining texts, you encourage students to read deeply and embrace the power of uncertainty—spending entire class sessions discussing a single work or passage, demanding that claims be grounded in evidence. While writing, you ask students to begin not with a thesis but with a question, transforming assignments into a process of discovery. In doing so, you enable students to see the confusing and the incomprehensible not as a problem to be solved, but as an opportunity to transform the very structure of their minds. In the words of one former student, “David taught me how to write, and how to interpret, and he taught me how to think without ever telling me what to think, and for this I am deeply and forever grateful.”
Outside of the classroom, nominators marvel at your gift for advising. You show up to advising sessions prepared, always ready to challenge assumptions and discover promising new ideas, together. One former advisee writes, “He never provided answers outright; instead he nudged me thoughtfully. Because of his belief in me, I pursued opportunities that once felt unattainable.” But students hardly need to wait for office hours to receive the gift of your time or support. As a current student describes, “Professor Martyn calls students in, not out. He never leaves hard work unnoticed or a need unmet. He actively seeks out students to support, encourage, and commend.”
Your accomplishments in educational leadership include co-founding the highly successful critical theory concentration and initiating the German Studies major’s restructuring to include areas of specialization. You are also a dedicated campus leader who shows up to create joy and community-–whether that’s attending monthly Kaffeestunden (coffee hours) at the German House or grilling bratwurst during Oktoberfest.
As one of your colleagues writes, “David has proven himself to be one of our campus’s most informed and passionate champions. In the most practical of senses, the future of the liberal arts depends on people like him.” Professor Martyn, it is our honor today to celebrate your dedication to your students, and the impact you’ve made on the Macalester community.