WVU Tech faculty member, Paul Rakes, Ph.D., named a finalist for statewide Professor of the Year award

Each year, the Faculty Merit Foundation of West Virginia honors an outstanding faculty member from a West Virginia college or university. Five finalists for the 2021 Professor of the Year honor have been selected, and they are: Linda Cowan, DMA, Professor of Music, West Liberty University; Micheal Fultz, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Chemistry, West Virginia State University; Michael Groves, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Nursing, Shepherd University; Dan Hollis, M.A., Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication, Marshall University; and Paul Rakes, Ph.D., Professor of History, West Virginia University Institute of Technology.

 
Interviews with the five candidates are being held on Monday, February 14, 2022. Traditionally, finalists are honored at a springtime banquet in Charleston, where the Professor of the Year is announced. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, plans for a banquet have not been determined.
 
The Faculty Merit Foundation was created in 1984 to provide a means to recognize and reward innovation and creativity among the faculties of West Virginia’s public and private colleges and universities. Through the Professor of the Year program, the outstanding achievements of those individuals are brought to the attention of the general public. A $10,000 cash award is given to the candidate selected as Professor of the Year, with smaller awards to the other finalists.