Melita Heyward, chair of the Allen University Business department, is the university’s 2021 SCICU Excellence in Teaching award recipient. She joined the Allen faculty in 2014 and was appointed business department chair in 2019. Heyward earned an MBA and a Bachelor of Science degree in computer information systems, both from Francis Marion University.

Heyward brings nearly two decades of entrepreneurship and management experience into Allen classrooms and is intentional about providing exceptional value by delivering instruction that connects course content to students’ professional goals and aspirations. Her course load includes a variety of classes in management, entrepreneurship, and business technology. In 2017, Heyward was recognized for her classroom leadership through the Allen University Faculty of the Year award.

Beyond the classroom, Heyward serves Allen University in multiple capacities. She is the coordinator for the institution’s Quality Enhancement Plan and serves on several faculty committees. Heyward founded the Women Entrepreneurs Carving Their Paths to Success Leadership Series, which features entrepreneurs and alumnae from the business department who discuss their career experiences and share professional advice with students. Knowing the importance of building relationships with her students, Heyward also enjoys her role as an academic advisor. She advises the campus chapter of Women in Business Administration Club, Phi Beta Lambda, Incorporated, and Sigma Beta Delta Honor Society for students in business.

T. Hunter Strickland, Ph.D., assistant professor of Literacy Education, is the 2021 Excellence In Teaching award winner for Anderson University. He received a Ph.D. in Language and Literacy Education with a focus on English Education from the University of Georgia. Strickland also earned master’s and bachelor’s degrees in English Education, both from the University of Georgia. His studies focused on young adult literature methods and courses in secondary English teacher education programs across the United States.

Strickland joined the Anderson University College of Education faculty in 2020. His teaching at AU focuses on PreK-12th grade literacy, including elementary literacy, secondary content area literacy, and English education. Through his understanding of young adult literature pedagogy, Strickland believes that the best literacy teachers of any grade level are teachers who foster their own identities as readers and writers.

His research interests include dialogic pedagogy and the use of young adult literature in both secondary schools and teacher education programs. Additionally, Strickland is interested in using Bakhtin’s concepts in analyzing young adult literature in order to engage with young adult texts and the students who read them.

Strickland’s research and articles have been published in “Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy,” “SIGNAL Journal,” and “Teaching for High Potential” (a publication of the National Association for Gifted Children). His book reviews have been published by the “Journal of Language and Literacy Education,” the “Dialogic Pedagogy Journal,” and the “Journal of Language and Literacy Education.” Strickland has also contributed chapters to “Clinical Experiences in Teacher Education: Critical, Project-Based Interventions in Diverse Classrooms.”

Emmie Jannell Davis, English instructor in the Communication and Arts department, is Benedict College’s recipient of the 2021 SCICU Excellence in Teaching award. Davis holds a M.Ed. and B.A. in English, both from South Carolina State University.

Davis’ course load includes Oral Communications and Advanced Speech Communications. She is a dedicated professional educator who consistently receives outstanding scores for teaching quality and experience. Davis enjoys working one-on-one with students and serves as an academic advisor/mentor for English and Mass Communication majors. She also serves as debate coach, academic coordinator for Benedict’s first-year experience, and coordinator for all final exams for English courses.

Outside the collegiate classroom, Davis is known for her long-term directorship of the Benedict College Language Camp, a summer enrichment program for children in grades K-8. For almost four decades, the camp offered learning opportunities in reading, writing, math, and performing arts to elementary and middle school students. The camp also afforded Benedict College students outstanding experiential learning opportunities in providing camp participants academic coaching and mentoring.

Despite serious health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, including an initial surgery and two rounds of reconstructive surgery, Professor Davis’ commitment to her teaching and service responsibilities never wavered. She continues to serve as a resilient role model for Benedict students and faculty/staff.

Charleston Southern University congratulates Thomas Keating, professor of Theatre, upon his selection as the university’s recipient of the 2021 SCICU Excellence In Teaching award. Keating holds a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from Columbia University (New York) and a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from The University of Georgia. He is also a member of the Actors’ Equity Association.

Keating, a member of the CSU faculty since 2007, is the coordinator of the university’s Theatre Program. He teaches a wide variety of courses including Acting, Directing, Stagecraft & Design, and Acting for the Camera.

In addition to his teaching course load, Keating directs at least two productions a year. Some favorites include “The Diary of Anne Frank,” “West Side Story,” and “King Lear.” Keating’s training with Anne Bogart (movement) and Kristin Linklater (voice) uniquely equips him to encourage and promote excellence in theatre. Professor Keating’s work as an actor in various cities, including New York City and Boston, enables him to offer a real-world perspective to Charleston Southern students.

In addition to his acting and directing work, Keating also writes and voices characters for a local animation company, Moondog Animation Studio.

As a member of Seacoast Church in Mt. Pleasant, Keating regularly assists with their productions, most notably, their Easter Passion Play, “The Thorn.”

“Thomas brings his skills to the classroom, and his passion for the arts to every aspect of his teaching and university service,” said Dr. Jacqueline Fish, Charleston Southern vice president for academic affairs. “He is certainly a favorite among our students, and their successes are directly linked to Professor Keating’s instruction and mentoring.”

Michael Fairwell, instructor of Mass Communication, is the 2021 SCICU Excellence In Teaching award winner for Claflin University. Fairwell holds a Master of Media Arts with concentrations in television and film and a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and mass communications, both from the University of South Carolina-Columbia.

For more than a decade, Fairwell has trained many Claflin students who are now working as producers, reporters, anchors, and media front-runners all over the country. Fairwell supervises more than 60 students each year in the Senior Project capstone course and guides them in the production of a proposal and media project. Fairwell’s internship class has launched many students as interns with CNN, ESPN, SCETV, and local national television affiliates.

Claflin has recognized Fairwell’s leadership with numerous awards, including Professional Employee of the Year Award, School of Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty Excellence Award, and the Claflin University Quality Enhancement Plan Instructor of the Year. Fairwell has also been named Claflin University Advisor of the Year and has been selected faculty representative to the Claflin Board of Trustees.

Outside of Claflin University, Fairwell owns a production company – the Fairwell Group. He recently produced LIVIC, a documentary about an iconic photographer during the Civil Rights Movement. In addition to the documentary, Fairwell’s production company has produced several commercials, infomercials, shorts films, and documentaries.

Fairwell holds memberships in the Broadcast Educators Association (BEA), South Carolina Broadcasters Association (SCBA), Radio Television and News Directors Association (RTNDA), South Carolina Media Educators Association (SCMEA), National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Dr. Jennifer Heusel, associate professor of Communication, is Coker University’s recipient of the 2021 SCICU Excellence In Teaching award. She holds a Ph.D. in Rhetoric, Public Culture and American Studies and an M.A. in Art History and African American and African Diaspora Studies, both from Indiana University-Bloomington. Heusel earned a B.A. in Art History from Rollins College.

Heusel joined the Coker faculty in 2014 and served as the coordinator of the African American Studies specialization until 2018. In this role, she worked with colleagues to cultivate interest in the specialization by developing programs and events that are now part of the larger campus culture. Heusel involves students in creating and implementing events, such as the bi-annual campus Kwanzaa celebration, as part of her African American Rhetoric course where students study the public messages of African American orators.

Much of Heusel’s teaching responsibilities are within the general education curriculum, including public speaking; she enjoys the challenge of translating communication perspectives and theories to the general student population. Dr. Heusel encourages students to present their work in panels and events. She also has led several study-abroad and study- away trips to Scotland, Wales, and Alabama.

Bringing together her passions for public culture, education, and community engagement, Dr. Heusel is an active member of the community. She sees her service as opportunities for students to put their education into practice through proposing public relations campaigns, conducting oral histories, and serving as interns.

Dr. Brennan Davis, assistant professor of education, is Columbia College’s 2021 recipient of the SCICU Excellence in Teaching award. She holds a Ph.D. in Language and Literacy and an M.A.T. in English, both from the University of South Carolina. She earned a B.A. in English at the College of Charleston.

Before joining the Columbia College faculty in 2018, Davis taught secondary English and journalism for 13 years. Renewing her National Board Certification in 2019, she has used her secondary teaching experience to support education programs at Columbia College.

Teaching is a privilege and a passion for Davis. She teaches foundations and literacy courses for all education majors as well as methods courses for middle-level and secondary education majors. Davis also teaches courses she developed on instructional technology and Praxis Core Writing. In her three years at Columbia College, Davis has assisted with several changes to the English education program, which she currently chairs.

In addition to teaching, Davis supervises teacher candidates during their field experiences and mentors students as they develop and refine their teaching methods. She is particularly invested in supporting beginning teachers, and currently is working on a years-long study of beginning teacher experiences in South Carolina.

Davis has served as faculty co-secretary for two years and continues to serve on several division and college committees. She is a board member of SCATE and recently served on the S.C. Department of Education’s ELA Standards Review Panel.