UPEI’s Dr. Andrew Zinck receives regional teaching and educational leadership award
Dr. Andrew Zinck, a professor in the UPEI Department of Music, was presented with the Association of Atlantic Universities’ (AAU) 2025 Distinguished Teaching Award at the AAU’s fall meeting held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on September 23.
One of three AAU regional awards for excellence in teaching and educational leadership, the Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes excellence in university teaching over a number of years, primarily at the undergraduate level. Dr. Zinck was nominated for the award by Dr. Sharon Myers, dean of the Faculty of Arts. The nomination was endorsed by Dr. Greg Naterer, vice-president, academic and research, and letters of support were provided by Dr. Wendy Shilton, professor of English, and music students Josie Thibodeau, Grace Biswas, and Calin Hart.
Dr. Wendy Rodgers, president and vice-chancellor of UPEI, congratulated Dr. Zinck on his award.
“Throughout his career, Dr. Zinck has guided students in developing their own voices, and his passion, joy, humour, and humility set him apart as an inspirational educator,” said Dr. Rodgers. “He epitomizes the spirit of this significant AAU recognition and is truly deserving of this prestigious award. Congratulations, Dr. Zinck!”
Dr. Paul J. Mazerolle, president and vice-chancellor of the University of New Brunswick and chair of the AAU, said the AAU Teaching Awards highlight the core values of Atlantic universities: student achievement, innovation, and leadership.
“Today’s recipients are true pioneers in the classroom, research, and community engagement. Their dedication to teaching reflects the exceptional student experience offered at Atlantic universities—one that inspires future scholars and community leaders,” he said.
In her nomination letter, Dr. Myers said Dr. Zinck’s curriculum designs are more than simple attention to student development—they actively work to develop students’ confidence, motivation, and autonomy.
“The breadth and number of student-centered approaches employed is remarkable, but what is especially striking is the thoughtful consideration and ethical reasoning underlying their adoption, implementation, and evaluation,” said Dr. Myers.
The citation read for Dr. Zinck at the awards presentation said in part that he is an exceptional educator: creative, innovative, adaptive, and committed to student-centered and student-responsive pedagogy. He embraces the craft of university teaching through experimenting, taking pedagogical risks and refining his teaching practices and his approaches, which are informed by Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research. He invites student engagement and deep learning, which fires their curiosity.
These observations are echoed by students who shared the profound impact of Dr. Zinck on their learning.
“He sees education as fun and rewarding, and he goes out of his way to address and attempt to dismantle many of the blatantly racist and culturally repressive ideals found in classical musical pedagogy. This has had a profound impression on me as a Black music student,” Hart wrote in his letter of support.
Since 1997, Dr. Zinck has been a valued faculty member in the Department of Music. As the department’s resident musicologist, he has a wide range of teaching responsibilities encompassing a broad spectrum of historical and theoretical areas: music history from the Middle Ages to modern times, post-tonal theory, Canadian music, and advanced topics in music history, form and analysis, film music, musical theatre, and popular music.
The other 2025 AAU teaching award recipients are Dr. Mary Oxner, Department of Accounting and Finance, Faculty of Business, St. Francis Xavier University, and Dr. Rob Power, School of Education and Health, Cape Breton University.
