NEW ORLEANS – Dr. Geary Albright, Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy and Planetarium Director at James Madison University, has been named the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Faculty Member of the Year.
The annual award recognizes a faculty member from one Sun Belt institution who has a passion for teaching, engaging and inspiring students, while also separating themselves from their peers outside the classroom by regularly supporting and displaying enthusiasm for student-athletes and the athletics department.
Each of the 14 Sun Belt Conference institutions nominated a Faculty Member of the Year finalist for the 2023-24 academic year. 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. The conference initiated the Sun Belt Faculty Member of the Year Award in 2019.
Albright and each of the finalists will be recognized at the Sun Belt Conference Honors Banquet in conjunction with the Sun Belt Fall Meetings on October 22, 2024 in Atlanta.
“We are proud to recognize these educators for their immeasurable impact on the lives of student-athletes at our 14 member institutions,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill. “We look forward to celebrating Dr. Albright and each of this year’s finalists at the 2024 Honors Banquet.”
A professor at James Madison since 2005, Albright grew up in the Washington, D.C., area where he was a multi-sport student-athlete in high school where he absorbed his understanding of the necessary balance and commitment required to excel in the classroom and be part of a team. It also further fostered his unique ability to develop a positive rapport with student-athletes in his classroom as an educator while maintaining high expectations, clear methods of assessment and classroom policies.
His efforts have been recognized on the Harrisonburg, Virginia campus when he was nominated by students three times for General Education Distinguished Teacher of the Year in 2008, 2010 and again in 2017 when he won the Provost-level award which is among the highest teaching honors at James Madison.
“My students are all aware that I truly want them to learn and understand the subject matter in all the classes that I teach,” Albright said. “This is especially important for student athletes who frequently have to miss class for games and tournaments. I have worked hard to become a dynamic and engaging teacher, and I am not in front of the class just going through the motions. It is my experience that students seldom work hard or retain what they have learned from a teacher that does not seem to care about what they are teaching or whether the students learn.”
Albright admits his teaching philosophy and approach has evolved over his 40 years of teaching in middle school and at the university level that now focuses on student success and understanding and less on testing, memorization, and recall. The class thrives on student interaction with an in-class activity each class that encourages participation and discussion among students on subject matter.
“Professor Albright has such a big heart for every student that walks into his astronomy class, always making it a priority to get to know them beyond the surface level,” James Madison junior women’s golfer Maria Atwood wrote in her nomination of Albright. “He has had a massive impact on both my academic and athletic endeavors, inspiring me to pursue my passion while supporting me every step of the way.”
2024 Sun Belt Faculty Member of the Year Finalists
Carey Maple
Appalachian State University
Senior Lecturer, Communication Studies
Dr. J. Mark Lewis
Arkansas State University
Associate Professor, Business Law
Dr. K. Michelle Singleton
Coastal Carolina University
Lecturer, Kinesiology
Dr. Patrick Novotny
Georgia Southern University
Professor, Political Science
Dr. Robert Burns
Georgia State University
Senior Lecturer, English
Steven Krueger
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Instructor, Chemistry
Dr. Tammy Johnston
University of Louisiana at Monroe
Professor, Economics
Dr. Susan Lanham
Marshall University
Associate Professor, Accountancy & Legal Environment
Dr. Marvin Chiles
Old Dominion University
Assistant Professor, African American History
Dr. Ryan Colquhoun
University of South Alabama
Assistant Professor, Health Kinesiology & Sport
Dr. Sarah Wright
University of Southern Mississippi
Assistant Teaching Professor, Mathematics
Dr. Shailen Singh
Texas State University
Associate Professor, Occupation, Workforce & Leadership Studies
Dr. Robert P. Mathner
Troy University
Professor & Assistant Director, School of Hospitality, Sport & Tourism Management