For his Conflict Analytics Lab practicum and alternative dispute resolution and employment law classes, students chose Professor Samuel Dahan as 2021’s winner of the Stanley M. Corbett Teaching Excellence Award.

A nominator from CAL wrote, “Professor Dahan demonstrates a remarkable talent for helping his students achieve their fullest potential. His passion for his work is inspiring, but even that is topped by the tremendous effort he puts into helping students succeed.” (Through CAL, that student worked on pandemic projects that helped some 10,000 workers.)  

Nominators also appreciated Dahan’s dynamic teaching approach, giving them hands-on learning through “complex and immensely educational negotiation simulations” in class, and integrating his vast negotiating experience into “meticulous slide decks” that students can use as a career resource. 

Dahan’s students also wrote, “He tells us ‘the opportunities are here for our taking” and actively pushes for new opportunities for every one of us.”

In his virtual acceptance speech, a delighted Dahan told the students that the award belonged to their collective achievements and efforts as much as to him. About the AI lab’s future, he said, “We’ve built an array of technologies from open access legal aid to intelligent negotiation systems for leading firms. This is just the beginning of an incredible ride, and there is just so much more we can do together.”