The Pitt News – “In the minds of her students and colleagues, Liann Tsoukas’ kindness is what sets her apart,” begins a profile in the university’s daily student newspaper. The Amherst alumna is in her 22nd year of designing and teaching American history courses at Pitt.
“Before becoming a teacher, Tsoukas earned her bachelor’s in American Studies at Amherst College,” writes reporter Livia Daggett. “She recalls loving the small classes and the interdisciplinary liberal arts mentality—a philosophy she consciously brings to Pitt, a large STEM school, by emphasizing ‘that liberal arts ethic … which is close attention to students,’ Tsoukas said.”
Tsoukas, who also holds a Ph.D. from Indiana University, received Pitt's School of Arts and Sciences Student Choice Award in 2004 and the Bellet Award in 2013. In recent years, she has become an assistant dean for the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and “played an integral role in helping colleagues and students adapt to online learning during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Colleagues and students are quoted in the article praising the professor for her willingness to help and support others, her emphasis on civic duty, and her concern for students’ mental health.