CMU Honors Program names Brookes and Erzikova Professors of the Year

Dr. Christi Brookes (HWL) and Dr. Elina Erzikova (SCJM) have been named Honors Professors of the Year for 2025.  Every year, the CMU Honors Program awards two faculty members this honor based on student feedback and service to the Honors community. 

Dr. Christi Brookes has taught an Honors seminar course every fall for the past five years, always covering a different timely topic as part of the Critical Engagements series.  This year, her Honors course tackles the “Wicked Problem of Loneliness,” while past courses have studied the Hinterlands (Cities, Coasts, and Everyone Everywhere Else), War and Peace, Real Intelligence: How do We (and others) Know What We Know?

Students find Dr. Brookes’ teaching methods engaging and thought-provoking. “This class helped me learn about my impact on the world around me” reported one student.  “This is unlike any other class I have taken, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.  We covered brand new relevant topics with fascinating discussions” stated another of Dr. Brookes past students.

Students consistently pointed to Brookes’ ability to get them to think critically and to use their newfound knowledge for the betterment of all.   “We learned ways to use the material to benefit our surrounding community,” said an anonymous student. 

Dr. Brookes is slated to teach another Honors course next fall focused on the American City. 

Dr. Elina Erzikova has taught several Honors courses, and has served as a member of the Honors Council, an Academic Senate committee charged with overseeing the curriculum and policy of the Honors Program at CMU.  Dr. Erzikova consistently teaches courses that require students to solve real-world problems through active and engaged learning. 

Erzikova’s previous Honors course Creative Strategies for the Greater Good worked directly with the Pure Michigan tourism campaign.  Students researched ways to engage with a neurodiverse audience to promote local tourism.  The students were able to gain real-world experience while honing their creativity, research and marketing skills. 

“As a freshman, I was able to make real world connections and present professionally in Lansing.  It was amazing” said one of Erzikova’s students.  Students characterized Erzikova as “very respectful and open-minded” and called her course “amazing and memorable!” 

Dr. Erzikova is slated to teach two Honors courses next year, both of which will focus on active learning to problem-solve modern local and global concerns.