Pratt Honored With SCICU Award

04/21/09

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - SMC religion professor Dr. Kris Pratt is among four local college professors being honored this week by the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Inc.

Pratt, along with professors from Converse College, Limestone College, and Wofford College were among the recipients this week of Excellence in Teaching awards presented by the SCICU.

Pratt is in his second academic year as a professor of religion at Spartanburg Methodist College, where he teaches four religion courses.  Pratt, a Cary, N.C., native, is a 1996 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a bachelor of arts in education.  He received a master's degree in divinity from Gardner Webb University in 1999 and a Ph.D. in religion in 2005 from Baylor University.  While working as a minister at Mountain Grove Baptist Church in Hickory, N.C., he realized his ministry was in teaching.  Previously, Pratt taught at Palm Beach Atlantic College in Florida, where he taught religion at the adult continuing education level.

Other area professors receiving the honor are Brent Glenn, assistant professor of theatre at Converse; Dr. Paul LeFrancois, chair of the Professional Studies Division at Limestone; and Dr. Carol Wilson, professor of English at Wofford.

Now in his third year at Converse College, Glenn attended Brenau College and Louisiana State University, where he received his master's of fine arts in theatre design.  He is a professional actor, director and designer who has worked for theaters from Alaska to New York and many places betwixt the two.  Glenn believes strongly in the creation of new ideas and the study of the point of connection where seemingly disparate schools of thought intersect.  At Converse, he has involved collaboration with faculty from the college's science, creative writing, and philosophy departments as well as the college's Petrie School of Music.  

LeFrancois has been at Limestone College since 1985 and has been the chair of the Professional Studies Division since 1991.  He is a nine-time recipient of the Fullerton Excellence in Teaching Award and received the South Carolina Governor's Distinguished Professor Award in 1999.  LeFrancois also is chair of the Overmountain Victory Trail Committee and the president of the Palmetto Cycling Coalition.  He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts and his master's and Ph.D. from the University of West Virginia.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wofford College, earning a bachelor's degree in English in 1981, Wilson returned to teach at her alma mater in 1984.  She earned her master's degree and the Ph.D. in English literature from the University of South Carolina.  Wilson is faculty adviser to Sigma Tau Delta English honor society, is chair of the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics, and serves on the Cultural Affairs Committee at Wofford.

Each of the 20 member institutions of the SCICU consortium selects one faculty member each year to receive the award, which includes a professional development stipend for the professor.  Each recipient is chosen by his or her institution according to rigorous criteria.  The most important characteristic of the nominees is their demonstration of the highest standards in teaching methods that encourage students to strive for excellence in their studies and pursuits.

SCICU was established in 1953 with the primary mission of promoting independent higher education in South Carolina. SCICU seeks to advance independent higher education through fundraising, scholarships, research, and by facilitating collaborative activities among the 20 member institutions, which educate nearly 33,000 students each year. For additional information about SCICU, contact Mike LeFever or Brenda Torrence  at 803-799-7122, or visit www.scicu.org.

Spartanburg Methodist College is in its 98th year of providing a quality education to students in a Christian environment. More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning.

For more information, please contact Brian Fulkerson, Director of Public Information, at (864) 587-4254