“Economics is such a large concentration that it can be hard to get to know professors,” she said.
She added that Friedman grades students’ papers himself, not relying on teaching fellows.
SAC Vice Chair Sheila R. Adams ’05 said that in choosing winners, the committee looks for commitment to students both inside and outside the classroom.
“Instilling passion for the material is very important,” she said.
She added that teachers should respond well to questions outside class and make an effort to get to know their students “not just as students, but as people.”
Adams said the turnout at the event was twice what it was last year.
“I think it’s great that so many students want to nominate great teachers,” she said.
The awards commemorate Joseph R. Levenson ’41, a history professor who taught at the University of California until his death in a boating accident in 1969.
—Staff writer William B. Higgins can be reached at whiggins@fas.harvard.edu.