Wartburg College professor Suleman Abdiah is the recipient of the 2023 John O. Chellevold Student Award for Excellence in Teaching and Professional Service.

Abdiah, visiting assistant professor of business administration, was honored during the Faculty and Staff Appreciation Event hosted by the Wartburg College Student Senate. Other honorees included Rick Snyder, associate professor of education, who was named the Advisor of the Year, and Jason Thueme, senior manager for retail dining and special events, who was named the Outstanding Administrative Staff.

Abdiah’s nominators called him a passionate educator who makes meaningful connections with his students.

“At one point in the Fall Term our business finance class fell behind in our schedule,” one student wrote. “To account for this, Dr. Abdiah decided to keep the pace and make sure that every student understood the material. He could’ve rushed lectures and pushed up the exams, but he put students over schedule and that is what makes him worthy of this award.”

The Chellevold award honors the late John O. Chellevold, a longtime Wartburg mathematics professor and administrator. It was established by one of his former students, the late Ross Nielsen, a 1939 Wartburg graduate who went on to a distinguished teaching career at the University of Northern Iowa and credited Chellevold as his inspiration.

Student nominators cited Snyder’s proactive approach to communication as one of the many reasons he is a standout adviser.

“Dr. Snyder is the kind of person who makes everyone feel like a somebody,” a student nominator wrote. “He responds quickly to emails and then gives you his undivided attention when you meet with him.”

Thueme’s nominators called him the “heartbeat of Dining Services.”

“He goes out of his way to make us feel appreciated and comfortable,” one nominator wrote. “He has genuine relationships with employees.”