May 15, 2024
Shawnee State University has announced the 2024 Faculty Awards. As part of this year’s presentation, the recipient of the Early Career Faculty Teaching Award is Dr. Christy Zempter. An Assistant Professor of Communication in the Department of English & Humanities, Dr. Zempter has been with the university since 2022.
“Dr. Zempter joined Shawnee State two years ago to teach in our new Communication major,” said SSU Provost Sunil Ahuja during the award presentation. “In the classroom, she provides her students with opportunities for hands-on learning to prepare them for their chosen careers after graduation.”
“I am so grateful to my colleagues in the English & Humanities Department and across campus who have done so much to support me over my first two years at SSU,” said Dr. Zempter. “It’s been exciting to be part of the development of the communication major and to have the opportunity to connect with so many of the great teachers we have on this campus. I am constantly learning from their examples.”
At SSU, Dr. Zempter has worked closely with Department Chair Ann Linden on the development and delivery of the university’s newly introduced Communication degree. She is also an advisor to the Chronicle, the university’s independent student news site. At the beginning of the academic year, Dr. Zempter took on the role of director of the university’s Teaching & Learning Center, providing research-based support services to faculty within the university to enhance teaching and learning.
“I appreciate being at a university that truly values teaching,” said Dr. Zempter. “Without our small class sizes and the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with students over multiple classes and semesters, there’s no way I could be the teacher I want to be.”
Dr. Zempter received her bachelor’s in Journalism from Marshall University in 1990. She went on to receive her master’s in Organizational Communication from Ohio University in 2014 before receiving her Ph.D. in Rhetoric & Public Culture in 2018 from the same institution.
The Early Career Faculty Teaching Award acknowledges outstanding teaching of a new member of the faculty at Shawnee State University and recognizes the excellence of faculty impact on students, scholarly approach to teaching and learning, and contributions to undergraduate education.