Shaping minds, changing lives: Goldman Prize recognizes outstanding faculty at UC Law

Outstanding Scholar. Outstanding Teacher. Outstanding Citizen of the College.
These are just a few of the accolades that describe the recipients of this year’s Goldman Prize for Excellence in Teaching. As one of the highest honors bestowed upon faculty members, the Goldman Prize not only recognizes exceptional teaching but also provides an opportunity for students to celebrate the profound impact their professors have on their academic and personal growth.

We are proud to congratulate this year’s recipients: Professor Kristin Kalsem, Professor Stephanie McMahon, and Professor Ryan Thoreson.

“They exemplify the best of what universities provide—they create and disseminate knowledge, they leverage that knowledge creation and dissemination to benefit their students, and through this and other activities, they work to elevate our institution and its impact on the community and broader society,” wrote Dean Haider Hamoudi in the announcement of their award.

“Beyond the classroom, Professor (Kristin) Kalsem is a mentor and advocate,” wrote a student nominator. “She takes the time to listen, offer thoughtful advice, and help students find their paths in law school and beyond. Her willingness to have honest and open conversations fosters trust and confidence in her students. She never hesitates to provide encouragement, whether through a kind word, a reminder of our potential, or her belief in our ability to succeed.”

Professor Kristin Kalsem teaches Bankruptcy, Secured Transactions, Feminist Jurisprudence, and Gender Stories: Law, Literature, and Interpretation. Her scholarship focuses on women’s legal history and the cultural study of law. She is also a past recipient of the College’s prestigious Harold C. Schott Scholarship Award for her book In Contempt: Nineteenth-Century Women, Law, and Literature.

Professor Kalsem’s recent work and activism are grounded in legal participatory action research (legal PAR), a community-based approach to advocacy and legal reform. She has trained judges on best practices in intimate partner abuse cases and has critically examined predatory lending through a race- and gender-conscious lens. Her scholarship has been published in leading journals, including the Harvard Women’s Law Journal, the Michigan Journal of Race and Law, the Southern California Review of Law and Women’s Studies, and the UCLA Women’s Law Journal.

At the recent Dean’s Reception, Nick Anderson ’25 reflected on her classroom impact:

“Professor Kalsem is an exceptional presence in the classroom. Her students praised her ability to foster an environment where every perspective is valued, encouraging them to bring their full selves into the conversation. Her ability to guide discussions with both empathy and intellectual rigor stood out. Students consistently shared how Professor Kalsem makes the classroom a place of profound learning and personal growth.”

“I never thought I would have understood, let alone enjoy, a tax class. Professor McMahon expertly breaks down complicated tax concepts and muddy statutory codes in a way that makes students fully understand what they are learning,” wrote a student nominator. “In prioritizing teaching us how to read code, I am a stronger student, and I am a stronger employee. The tax problems we had to complete before each FIT and Business Tax class and the Business Tax memos challenged me to develop and refine my skills of writing to the audience. I am now more confident in my ability to break down legal problems in ways a 'client' can understand, and I am more confident in my ability to deliver to coworkers/supervisors precisely what they are looking for without bogging them down with unnecessary information.”

Professor Stephanie McMahon teaches Business Tax, Federal Income Tax, and Tax Policy. Her scholarship examines the intersection of taxation and public perception, with particular attention to family taxation and the application of administrative law within the tax system. Her deep interest in the evolution of tax policy led to the authorship of Principles of Tax Policy, part of West’s Concise Hornbook Series.

Professor McMahon’s research also addresses the tax treatment of marginalized groups, including the disparate tax implications faced by women seeking abortion care in states with restricted access, as well as the taxation of inmate labor.

Her work has appeared in both peer-reviewed and student-edited publications, including The Tax Lawyer (an ABA journal), Florida Tax Review, Virginia Tax Review, Northwestern Law Review, Washington Law Review, and Michigan State Law Review.

One student nominator wrote: “Professor McMahon has been incredibly supportive both in and out of the classroom. Her on-calls, though intimidating, made me a more confident student. She always welcomes my questions and concerns, whether during office hours or beyond. Even this year, when I’m not in her class, she continues to support me—not just academically, but personally as well.”

“Professor Thoreson goes above and beyond for his students in every possible way. From creating a structured classroom environment, to being available for students to come discuss current events, legal questions, and more, Professor Thoreson is an incredible teacher who truly cares about his students and their success,” wrote a student nominator. “He not only makes the content understandable but keeps his classes engaging and well-organized. … As a burgeoning legal professional hoping to one day make the transition to legal academia, Professor Thoreson is truly an inspiration. I can think of no one more deserving of this award.”

Professor Ryan Thoreson teaches Constitutional Law, Torts, and Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Human Rights. His scholarship explores the legal and social regulation of gender and sexuality, engaging with constitutional law, comparative and international law, and human rights law. His work has been published or is forthcoming in leading journals, including the California Law Review, Cardozo Law Review, Clinical Law Review, Harvard International Law Journal, Tulane Law Review, and Yale Law Journal, among others. He is the co-editor of The SAGE Handbook of Global Sexualities (2020) and the author of Transnational LGBT Activism: Working for Sexual Rights Worldwide (2014).

Professor Thoreson is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Williams Institute’s prestigious Dukeminier Award (2023) for outstanding legal scholarship on sexual orientation and gender identity, the University of Cincinnati’s Faculty Excellence Award (2024), the LGBTQ Center’s Meem & Gibson Outstanding Service Award for faculty (2025), and the College of Law’s Goldman Prize for Excellence in Teaching (2025).

At the recent Dean’s Reception, Nick Anderson ’25 remarked:  “Professor Thoreson is an outstanding presence in the classroom. His students described his impactful work both inside and outside the classroom as ‘stellar,’ and his courses as among the highlights of their time at UC Law.”

For more than 35 years, the Goldman Prize has been bestowed upon deserving individuals. What sets this award apart is its distinct process: students nominate and select the recipients, who happen to be their professors. In reaching their decision, the committee evaluates the professors' research and public service, recognizing how these aspects contribute to outstanding performance within the classroom.

Lead photo: Joey Yerace