NEW ORLEANS – Top educators around the Sun Belt Conference were recognized today as the league announced its first-ever Faculty Member of the Year Awards. This 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.
"These educators continue to go above and beyond to positively impact the lives of students and student-athletes at our Sun Belt universities. We are honored to recognize their dedication to student success on their respective campuses," said Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill.
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. It was then decided that each institution would submit an honoree to the conference office to recognize annually.
"This marks the inaugural Sun Belt Conference Faculty Award at all of our member institutions and we recognize that faculty members play a vital role in the student-athlete experience," said Arkansas State Faculty Athletic Representative Karen McDaniel, Ph.D. "Our Sun Belt student ambassadors started this initiative last fall as a way of recognizing faculty on our campuses who are great teachers going over and beyond to help students. Faculty Athletics Representatives worked with the student ambassadors to establish criteria for this award to honor these exceptional faculty members. I believe this is a testament to how much students appreciate their faculty."
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.
Georgia Southern
Brian Dowis
School of Accountancy
Dr. Brian Dowis teaches in the School of Accountancy at Georgia Southern University, where his main areas of research interest include both archival and behavioral taxation. Dowis has been honored throughout his career, receiving awards such as the KPMG Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Gender Issues and Worklife Balance (GIWB) Section of the American Accounting Association, Georgia Southern University's Michael W. Skinner School of Accountancy Excellence Fund Award, and the Accounting Association Professor of the Year. He was named the Professor of the Year as voted on by the Georgia Southern student-athlete body at this year's GUSPYs, as well.
Dowis received his Doctorate in Business Administration in Accounting from Louisiana Tech University, Masters in Professional Accountancy from Clemson University and BSBA in Accounting from Coastal Carolina University, where he also played on the tennis team.
"Dr. Dowis is able to create a relationship with his students that not only facilitate learning the material, but inspires them to become a better version of themselves," said Santiago Suarez, a rising senior on the men's tennis team.
