UTA’s Liggett Named 2021 Sun Belt Conference Faculty of the Year Finalist
9/20/2021 3:44:00 PM | General, SAAC, Academic Services
NEW ORLEANS – Ron Liggett, a long-time Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics at UT Arlington, was been named a 2021 Sun Belt Conference Faculty Member of the Year Finalist on Monday.
The annual award recognizes a faculty member from each Sun Belt institution who has a passion for teaching, engaging and inspiring students, while also separating themselves from their peers outside of the classroom by regularly supporting and displaying enthusiasm for the athletics department.
Each of the Sun Belt's 12 institutions nominated a Faculty Member of the Year finalist. The conference's Faculty Athletics Representatives, Student-Athlete Academic Directors and members of the Sun Belt Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) voted to select the overall recipient, Dr. Steve Grice, Director of the School of Accountancy at Troy University. The conference initiated the Sun Belt Faculty Member of the Year Award in 2019.
Liggett is a UT Arlington Maverick through and through. Liggett received his MBA with a concentration in economics and accounting from UTA in 1989, and has resided in the middle of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex ever since.
Following completion of his Master's degree, Liggett began his 30+ year tenure as a Lecturer or Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics in 1989. During his 32 years with UTA, Liggett – who has also served as Assistant to the Chair of the department since 2015 – has lectured more than 300 courses, received numerous awards and been published in several textbooks.
However, his impact on UTA extends well beyond the classroom. A four-year baseball letterwinner himself at Lamar, Liggett has been immersed in the lives of Maverick student-athletes for decades. From 1987-99 he was an assistant coach for the UTA baseball team, and since 2017 he has served on the NCAA Compliance Committee.
Liggett – a Certified Public Accountant – also spent a decade as a Huddle Leader for the UTA Chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, in addition to a plethora of other service roles at the university during his tenure in Arlington.
Having an athletics background himself has proved extremely helpful for current UTA student-athletes as Liggett's understanding of the rigors Division-I competitors face on a daily basis has been a welcome sight, particularly during COVID-19, as Michael Wong can attest.
"Ron Liggett is easily one of my favorite economic professors I have taken at UTA. He has made online learning as enjoyable as possible, even playing a variety of songs before each lecture. He continually shows an ungodly amount of passion for each of his classes, and shows up to every lecture ready to teach," stated Wong, a current member of the UTA baseball team and former Sun Belt Commissioner's List member.
"Aside from being passionate about what he teaches, he has also worked with me when baseball has created scheduling conflicts," Wong added. "There have been multiple occasions where Ron Liggett has gone out of his way to help me during these situations. I am grateful that Ron Liggett is my professor during this confusing time with the pandemic, and during the spring when my schedule is filled with athletics."
"We are proud to recognize these dedicated educators who play an important role in impacting the lives of our student-athletes. These faculty members help improve the trajectory of our student-athletes," said Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill. "Congratulations to Dr. Grice and to each of the finalists. We look forward to celebrating them during our fall conference meetings in November."
FOLLOW THE MAVS SOCIALLY
For up-to-date news, photos and videos, follow UTA Athletics online at the brand-new UTAMavs.com or via several social media accounts on Twitter @UTAMavs, Instagram @UTAMavs and Facebook /UTAMavs.
The annual award recognizes a faculty member from each Sun Belt institution who has a passion for teaching, engaging and inspiring students, while also separating themselves from their peers outside of the classroom by regularly supporting and displaying enthusiasm for the athletics department.
Each of the Sun Belt's 12 institutions nominated a Faculty Member of the Year finalist. The conference's Faculty Athletics Representatives, Student-Athlete Academic Directors and members of the Sun Belt Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) voted to select the overall recipient, Dr. Steve Grice, Director of the School of Accountancy at Troy University. The conference initiated the Sun Belt Faculty Member of the Year Award in 2019.
Liggett is a UT Arlington Maverick through and through. Liggett received his MBA with a concentration in economics and accounting from UTA in 1989, and has resided in the middle of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex ever since.
Following completion of his Master's degree, Liggett began his 30+ year tenure as a Lecturer or Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics in 1989. During his 32 years with UTA, Liggett – who has also served as Assistant to the Chair of the department since 2015 – has lectured more than 300 courses, received numerous awards and been published in several textbooks.
However, his impact on UTA extends well beyond the classroom. A four-year baseball letterwinner himself at Lamar, Liggett has been immersed in the lives of Maverick student-athletes for decades. From 1987-99 he was an assistant coach for the UTA baseball team, and since 2017 he has served on the NCAA Compliance Committee.
Liggett – a Certified Public Accountant – also spent a decade as a Huddle Leader for the UTA Chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, in addition to a plethora of other service roles at the university during his tenure in Arlington.
Having an athletics background himself has proved extremely helpful for current UTA student-athletes as Liggett's understanding of the rigors Division-I competitors face on a daily basis has been a welcome sight, particularly during COVID-19, as Michael Wong can attest.
"Ron Liggett is easily one of my favorite economic professors I have taken at UTA. He has made online learning as enjoyable as possible, even playing a variety of songs before each lecture. He continually shows an ungodly amount of passion for each of his classes, and shows up to every lecture ready to teach," stated Wong, a current member of the UTA baseball team and former Sun Belt Commissioner's List member.
"Aside from being passionate about what he teaches, he has also worked with me when baseball has created scheduling conflicts," Wong added. "There have been multiple occasions where Ron Liggett has gone out of his way to help me during these situations. I am grateful that Ron Liggett is my professor during this confusing time with the pandemic, and during the spring when my schedule is filled with athletics."
"We are proud to recognize these dedicated educators who play an important role in impacting the lives of our student-athletes. These faculty members help improve the trajectory of our student-athletes," said Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill. "Congratulations to Dr. Grice and to each of the finalists. We look forward to celebrating them during our fall conference meetings in November."
FOLLOW THE MAVS SOCIALLY
For up-to-date news, photos and videos, follow UTA Athletics online at the brand-new UTAMavs.com or via several social media accounts on Twitter @UTAMavs, Instagram @UTAMavs and Facebook /UTAMavs.
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