Texarkana College Announces 2020 Faculty and Staff NISOD Excellence Award Recipients

Texarkana College announced its recipients of the annual National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Awards at the Board of Trustees meeting held Monday. 2020 honorees include Associate Professor of History Dr. Beverly Rowe and Director of Talent Search Julie Long. Rowe and Long were selected as recipients because of their extraordinary work and service to their students, colleagues and community.

Rowe has been a full-time faculty member at Texarkana College for 23 years, teaching courses in history, sociology and anthropology. Rowe has adopted Texarkana USA as a field of historical study and has published several books on the topic, including Once Upon a Time in Texarkana (2005), Twice Upon A Time in Texarkana (2006) and Historic Texarkana: An Illustrated History (2009), among others. The information in the books has become a resource for scholars, journalists and historians, and Rowe is regularly quoted in other published articles and books throughout Texas and Arkansas. In her classroom, Rowe shares her knowledge of collecting and curating information for research and publication and involves students in the process. In 2019, Rowe was named TC’s Endowed Chair for Teaching Excellence.

Dr. Dixon Boyles, TC’s Dean of Business and Social Science, said Rowe’s accomplishments as a professional educator and scholar cannot be overstated.

“Dr. Beverly Rowe demonstrates excellence in all she attempts,” Boyles said. “She is a dedicated professor of history at TC where she continuously inspires students to fulfill their potential, she is a respected scholar within her field, and she is an incomparable ambassador for TC who goes far beyond her required job duties to promote its mission and purpose within the community. Dr. Rowe serves as a professional mentor to students by demonstrating that it is important to give back to the community by utilizing your knowledge and skills.”

Long has been a staff member of Texarkana College’s Talent Search/TRIO program for almost 14 years and currently serves as the program coordinator. Long said she considers it an honor and joy to have a career that enables her to invest in young people through mentoring, supporting and assisting them in their path towards college.

“Overcomers to becomers—those are the faces of our Talent Search students,” Long said. “When you hear a former student say, ‘Thank you for believing in me when I did not,’ your investment has been a success! I am honored to work for TC and to be recognized with a NISOD Award. Thank you to the TC Talent Search/TRIO director, Dr. Tonja Mackey, the incredible Talent Search team, and my extraordinary work family at Texarkana College. I am truly grateful!”

Each year Texarkana College recognizes two individuals as NISOD nominees, one staff member and one faculty member, who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment and contribution to their students and colleagues. All nominees are approved by the TC President Dr. Jason Smith.

“TC is committed to celebrating the extraordinary work of our faculty, administrators, and staff whose service to our students, colleagues, and community deserve our special recognition,” Smith said. “I am so proud of the work done on behalf of TC by our NISOD Excellence Award recipients this year, and I’m honored to be able to work alongside such talented individuals.”

Created in 1978, NISOD is a membership organization committed to promoting and celebrating excellence in teaching, learning, and leadership at community and technical colleges. NISOD holds an annual membership conference in May where awardees are recognized. This year, however, due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the conference was not held as usual. Awardees will receive special recognition this year from their institutions and will be celebrated on the NISOD website for their accomplishments.

Dr. Edward J. Leach, NISOD’s Executive Director, said recognizing those individuals who have contributed to student success and their colleges’ mission is something the organization looks forward to doing each year.

“The extraordinary work of these men and women includes not only what they do for their students and colleagues, but what they do for the communities in which they live and work,” Leach said. “We’re honored to be able to play a part in celebrating their achievements.”

More information about NISOD and Award of Excellence honorees can be found at www.nisod.org.