Teaching Excellence Awards

The Teaching Excellence program is an opportunity to recognize individuals for their contributions to the University through excellence as teachers. The selection of excellent university teachers is based upon knowledge of subject matter; quality of lectures and assignments; enthusiasm for teaching; interest in and availability to students; sensitivity to the learning environment; effectiveness as a teacher as assessed through student, peer and alumni evaluations; commitment to continuous improvement of their own classroom teaching; and contributions to the quality of teaching within the University through assistance and encouragement of other faculty.

Each College of the University selects a member of its faculty to receive a Teaching Excellence Award. During this convocation, each College recipient will also be recognized with a University Teaching Excellence Award.

The Teaching Excellence program has been rewarding teaching excellence at SFA since the program's inception in 1994.

2019 Teaching Excellence Award Recipients

Dr. Matthew Beauregard

Professor of Mathematics
College of Sciences and Mathematics

Dr. Matthew Alan Beauregard is a professor of mathematics in the College of Sciences and Mathematics. He joined SFA's faculty in 2014 after serving as a faculty member at Clarkson University and completing post-doctoral appointments at Baylor University and the University of Arizona. His research interests are in applied mathematics, in particular, mathematical modeling and scientific computing. In this decade, he has mentored more than 30 undergraduate students in undergraduate interdisciplinary research activities in robotics, civil, and mechanical engineering, computational sciences, mathematical biology, and applied mathematics. He received a bachelor's degree in mathematics with a minor in economics from the University of new Hampshire and doctoral and master's degrees in applied mathematics with a minor in aerospace and mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona.

Dr. John Mehaffey

Associate Professor
Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture

Dr. John Michael Mehaffey, associate professor of animal sciences, joined SFA's Department of Agriculture in 2012 after spending time in research and development in the meat industry. He received a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University, a master of Science from the University of Arkansas, and a Doctor of Philosophy in animal science from Texas Tech University. His teaching responsibilities include Introductory Animal Science, Livestock Evaluation, Swine Production, and Processing and Products. In the summer, he has a travel course through the meat and animal industry across Texas and Oklahoma. He manages the Swine and Sheep & Goat Centers, focusing on show animal genetics.

Dr. Deb Scott

Professor of Trombone and Bass Trombone
College of Fine Arts

Dr. Deb Scott is the professor of trombone and bass trombone in the College of Fine Arts. She is also the director of SFA's top jazz band, the Swingin' Axes. She is a performing artist for Rath Trombones from Great Britain. Scott's solo CD "Playing Favorites" was released in 2017 by Navona Records. Scott has been described as "one of the premiere soloists for her instrument" (Cinemusical, 2017). Most recently, she was part of the Christopher Bill's You Tube sensation featuring 28 trombonists from throughout the world performing Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." In 2016, she was a featured soloist and faculty member in Santa Fe, Argentina at Trombonanza. She is also regularly featured in radio broadcasts throughout North America. At the International Trombone Festival in 2010, she and the SFA trombone choir were described as playing a "fantastic performance .... some of the most challenging works in the trombone choir repertoire."

Dr. Mark Montgomery

Assistant Professor of Elementary Education
James I. Perkins College of Education

Before joining the faculty in 2015, Dr. Montgomery worked as an elementary teacher, middle-level mathematics teacher, instructional specialist, and district instructional technologist in schools in Oklahoma and Texas. He holds a master's degree in curriculum and instruction and a Ph.D. in curriculum and teaching from Baylor University, both focusing on mathematics education. Dr. Montgomery teaches mathematics methodology courses to both elementary and middle-level teacher candidates and supervises pre-service teachers in a field experience focused on mathematics and science instruction. His research focuses on effective teaching practices and the use of co-teaching as a way to strengthen peer-to-peer feedback.

Dr. Jason Reese

Associate Professor of Marketing
Nelson Rusche College of Business

Dr. Jason Reese is an associate professor of marketing in the Nelson Rusche College of Business. Dr. Reese received his bachelor's degree from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and his master's degree and Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. Dr. Reese coordinates the Sports Business program and was the 2018-19 Chair of the Faculty Senate. Dr. Reese teaches undergraduate marketing courses and serves as the faculty advisor for the Sports Business Society, a professional student organization. His research interests include pricing, sports marketing, and consumer behavior. He was a finalist for the 2017 SFASU Foundation Teaching Award. Within the Nelson Rusche College of Business, Dr. Reese was named the 2017 Distinguished Faculty member, received the 2018 Distinguished Service Award, and was named a Rusche Faculty Scholar from 2016-2018.

Dr. John Pruit

Assistant Professor of Sociology
College of Liberal and Applied Arts

John C. Pruit is an assistant professor of sociology in the Department of Anthropology, Geography and Sociology. He teaches Introduction to Sociology, Racial & Ethnic Relations, and upper-division courses such as Sociology of Education and Men and Masculinities. Using a constructivist approach, he engages students in critically thinking about how sociology, and especially sociological theory, is applicable to their everyday lives. Pruit's research agenda focuses on how individuals construct their lives within educational contexts. In his book, Between Teaching an Caring in the Preschool (2019, Lexington Books), Pruit uses ethnographic and interview data to analyze how preschool teachers construction institutional identities.

Ms. Jackie Rosenfeld

(Adjunct Award)
Lecturer of Theatre
College of Fine Arts

Jackie Rosenfeld is a lecturer in the School of Theatre. She teaches courses in theatre appreciation, play analysis, and play writing. She is the faculty advisor for the School of Theatre's Improv toupe, Improv Strikes Back, and each fall manages the 24-Hour Theatre Festival. Rosenfeld earned a Bachelor of Arts from San Angelo State University, and a Master of Fine Arts in playwriting from Texas Tech University. She currently serves as the Region 6 chair for the Educational Theatre Association Inc. Her plays have been produced across the country, including several performances in Manhattan, New York. Her play "keepingabreast" was recently published as an audiobook by Blunder Woman Productions.