Although he has been away from campus on sabbatical this semester, that didn鈥檛 stop students from nominating him for the 2011 Trustees Award for the impact he has had on their lives.
Cumbler will receive the award at the May 14 commencement ceremony; he鈥檒l address students and their guests at both ceremonies.
One of the things he said he鈥檒l talk about is what makes UofL a special institution: its students.
鈥淎 lot of our students don鈥檛 come from elite, privileged backgrounds. They don鈥檛 realize how smart they are,鈥 Cumbler said. 鈥淎s a teacher, I鈥檓 in a position where I can introduce students to this large, intellectual, scholarly world of ideas.
鈥淎t Louisville, you get the chance to change these students鈥 lives,鈥 he said.
How he does that came through in student nomination letters:
鈥淒r. Cumbler鈥檚 careful building of a supportive classroom community, always open office door, and lecture pit-stops for emergency skill-building helped transform me from an unconfident back-row student into a learner eager to lead and teach,鈥 one former student noted.
Others said that Cumbler encouraged them to push past what they perceived as their own weaknesses 鈥 learning disabilities or being a first-generation college student.
鈥淪tarting in elementary school, educators always said, 鈥榊ou can be anything that you put your mind to,鈥 but I never believed that until Dr. Cumbler became my adviser,鈥 one student wrote.
Some said that Cumbler helped pay for graduate school applications when they couldn鈥檛 pay the costs, and that he became an active partner in their education.
鈥淚 was struck immediately by his use of the word 鈥榳e.鈥 He wasn鈥檛 suggesting a course of action I should take alone, but one that he and I would carry out together. As the course of the semester went on, it was clear that these were not empty words,鈥 one student wrote.
For Cumbler, it is a responsibility to be there for students 鈥 even after they leave UofL.
鈥淎 lot of these students don鈥檛 come from academic backgrounds,鈥 he said. 鈥淥nce you have sort of introduced them to this world, you have a responsibility to help them negotiate that world. If you鈥檙e lucky, you鈥檝e made a relationship with these students, you鈥檙e a person they can come back to. I don鈥檛 see that end when the semester鈥檚 over.鈥
Cumbler has been on the faculty at UofL since 1975. The Trustees Award isn鈥檛 his first. He has received two UofL Distinguished Faculty Awards 鈥 one for teaching and another for scholarship, research and creative activity. He also was a Fulbright professor to the Netherlands.
But receiving the Trustees Award may be the most treasured of his accomplishments.
鈥淎t heart, I鈥檓 a teacher, and recognition of that is very important to me,鈥 Cumbler said. 鈥淭his award is about the impact you鈥檝e had on your students, about being a force in students鈥 lives. This goes beyond the classroom.鈥
