Ann Ellsworth

Ann Ellsworth has taught in the Department of Education at Montana State University since 1990. She is known as a caring, encouraging teacher with high expectations and a profound commitment to students and mentoring fellow members of the faculty and staff. A former public school teacher, Ellsworth learned the value of language while working with students at a bilingual school in Wisconsin before going on to earn a doctorate in curriculum and instruction. Students say Ellsworth is an exceptional educator who recognizes their value and provides them with opportunities to succeed. Ellsworth played an instrumental role in developing MSU’s highly regarded Master of Arts in Teaching program, which recruits and trains professionals to become teachers. She is also known for her approach to online instruction, designing virtual classrooms as effective spaces for learning and academic exploration. She has been recognized nationally for teaching English grammar, earning the 2019 Grammar Teacher of the Year Award from the National Council of Teachers of English. She has also received multiple MSU teaching awards, including the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award and the Anna K. Fridley Distinguished Teaching Award, as well as the Dorothy Aasheim Memorial Award for Outstanding Service to the University, given by the Bozeman Chamber of Commerce. 

“Ann is one of the most dedicated professionals to ever grace the MSU Department of Education. She is committed to her students’ learning and does everything she can to prepare them to be phenomenal teachers.”