UW associate professor David Domke of the Department of Communications was named the recipient of the Washington Teacher of the Year award Thursday. The distinction is bestowed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

The award, which was established 25 years ago, has not been awarded to a UW professor since 1998. Domke said the distinction speaks just as much to the quality of the UW.

"It's a great honor for me and for this University, and I think that teaching is something that's really valued and taken seriously," Domke said. "It's just great for the University."

Domke is a professor of political communication. He specializes in American and global politics.

"It's my passion, the kind of area that gets me the most fired up," he said.

He said his particular field of expertise helps him in his goal to help students become citizens.

"Students make that move from being teenagers to being fully fledged members of their community, and that's an important time," Domke said.

In order to be a good citizen, "I think the first thing is that we have to be responsible for what we think and what kinds of messages we expose ourselves to," he said. "That sense of maturity is a huge part of what I demand of myself and what I ask of my students...We're all in this together, we need to take ourselves seriously."

Candidates are evaluated by a panel of experts who judge by involvement with students, teaching methods and contributions to the community, among other criteria. Domke was selected from nearly 300 candidates for the honor.

Upon receiving a notification letter, "I was stunned," he said. "I was shocked when I opened it up and it said 'Congratulations, you've been selected.'"

Domke, who published a book in 2004, said his future plans include to publish another book on the abuse of religious innuendo by political leaders in 2008 and to continue teaching at the UW.

Reporter Jeff Tripoli: news@thedaily.washington.edu