Hall, Carden and Rigsby Awarded 2023 Teaching Excellence Awards at Trevecca

Trevecca Nazarene University recently presented three faculty members with Teaching Excellence awards, recognizing Dr. Aaron Hall, Dr. Penny Carden and Julie Rigsby for modeling high achievement and servant leadership.

The awards were presented during two special convocations this spring, one for undergraduate programs and another for graduate and nontraditional programs. 

Hall, an instructor in sports medicine and exercise physiology, was selected as this year’s recipient of the undergraduate teaching award. His areas of focus include educating and preparing undergraduate students for graduate school in health sciences and treating patients with orthopedic pathologies. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Lipscomb University in exercise science, a master's in organizational leadership from Trevecca and a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. 

Carden, who recently retired after many years of service in Trevecca’s School of Education, was this year’s recipient for graduate programs. She taught in English as a second language programs; served as the coordinator of curriculum, assessment and instruction; and provided instruction for Trevecca faculty in online learning course development. She had previously worked for seven years as an online professor at Indiana Wesleyan University and for 15 years in Georgia schools as a math teacher.

Julie Rigsby, an associate professor of leadership studies, received the Teaching Excellence Award for nontraditional undergraduate programs. In addition to her teaching duties, she serves as assistant director of the Master of Arts in organizational leadership and the Bachelor of Arts in management and leadership degree programs. A certified practitioner of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, she enjoys sharing the powerful insights that come with discovering one's personality preferences. She also serves as a youth volunteer and small group facilitator at Estill Springs Church of the Nazarene.

Both awards convocations featured messages from last year’s honorees.