NEW ORLEANS – UT Arlington's Bethany Shaffer on Monday was named one of 12 league-wide recipients of the Sun Belt Conference's inaugural Faculty Member of the Year Award.
Shaffer has had a tremendous academic impact on innumerable students and student-athletes alike at UTA, where she has served as a lecturer in the Department of English since 2011.
The award recognizes a faculty member from each Sun Belt institution who displays valuable classroom skills such as developing relationships, being a good communicator and showing a passion for teaching, engaging and inspiring students, while also separating themselves from their peers outside the classroom by regularly attending athletics events and displaying enthusiasm for the athletics department.
In a testament to Shaffer's commitment and quality of teaching, UTA volleyball rising senior Madison Hill had the following to say about Shaffer: "She is the most caring and passionate professor that I've had throughout college."
Additionally, UTA track & field member Mackenzie Molina stated: "I nominated Professor Shaffer because I feel that she is amazing at her job, understands the difficulty of being a student-athlete and is willing to help me be successful in the classroom and on the track."
The concept for the award originated at the Sun Belt's 2018 Fall Meeting during conversation between the Sun Belt Ambassadors, a collection of student-athletes from around the conference, and Faculty Athletic Representatives. The Sun Belt Conference's 12 honorees come from nearly 10,000 full-time faculty members. The combined enrollment across the conference is more than 160,000 students with student-athletes comprising more than 3,100.
Shaffer's work and dedication to UTA was rewarded in 2016 when she was bestowed with the prestigious honor of Faculty Advisor of the Year – one year after being named an Honorable Mention for the award. Prior to beginning her tenure at UTA, Shaffer received the O'Neill Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2010.
"These educators continue to go above and beyond to positively impact the lives of students and student-athletes at our Sun Belt universities," said Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill. "We are honored to recognize their dedication to student success on their respective campuses."
Shaffer received her Master of Arts in English from Youngstown State University in 2006 after receiving her undergraduate degree in English from Mercyhurst College in 2004.
2019 SUN BELT FACULTY MEMBER OF THE YEAR AWARD RECIPIENTS
Appalachian State
Amanda C. Howell
Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences
Little Rock
Rachel E. Tennial
Department of Psychology
Arkansas State
Shane Hunt
Department of Management and Marketing
Coastal Carolina
Deborah Breede
Department of Communication, Media & Culture
Georgia Southern
William Brian Dowis
School of Accountancy
Georgia State
Kris Varjas
Director of the Center for Research on School Safety, School Climate, and Classroom Management
Louisiana
Ruben D. Henderson
Assistant Director of Student Activities
ULM
William Hey
School of Allied Health
South Alabama
Alan Chow
Department of Marketing and Quantitative Methods
UTA
Bethany Shaffer
College of Liberal Arts
Texas State
Amy Perry
Department of Political Science
Troy
Michael Orlofsky
College of Communication and Fine Arts
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