Dr. Kirk Hansen, professor of history, does more than lecture in the classroom. He mentors students, supports his colleagues and uses the empathic lenses of a historian to offer encouragement to all those around him.

To honor his dedication to SMC, his fellow faculty members selected Hansen as the 2020 recipient of the Archie Vernon and Margaret Wannamaker Huff Faculty Award. The award is given to an SMC faculty member who exemplifies outstanding professional qualifications and teaching ability, and Hansen does just that.

“He is not only one of the most engaged professors I know, but he also is the kindest and most caring person I know,” says Dr. Cole Cheek. “He works hard and truly cares about his students and colleagues.”

Hansen joined SMC’s history department in 2016. Since then, he has served as a student club sponsor, academic advisor and faculty committee member, all while continuing to conduct his own research in the field of history. Hansen earned his Ph.D. in history from the University of Dundee and both his Masters of Arts and Bachelor of Arts in history from Bob Jones University.

Along with the award, Hansen will receive an $800 stipend for further study, travel for professional purposes or to defray the cost of publication expenses for scholarly work.

The Huff Faculty Award was established in 1970 as an endowed fund by Dr. A. V. Huff, Jr., a former member of the SMC Board of Trustees and a retired faculty member of the history department at Furman University, and his wife, Kate, in memory of his parents, Archie Vernon and Margaret Wannamaker Huff.