Excellence can only be accomplished when mediocrity and laziness take a backseat to hard work and dedication.
Among many other things, Tarleton State University holds its staff, students and faculty to the values of respect, excellence and integrity. The idea of excellence is broad. Academic excellence, however, is success that stems from hard work and dedication.
“[Academic excellence is] the ability to meet and exceed the demands that are being placed on our students. As faculty, we must go above and beyond to make our classes relevant to the majors our students are seeking and relevant to the careers in which they seek to gain employment,” associate professor, Dr. David Frazier said.
“To me, academic excellence is staying on top of the needs for various careers and being willing to change curriculum to match the ever-changing needs of the profession. We must be willing to recognize the value of our foundation but not be afraid to stretch as we adapt and change our courses to meet these needs,” Frazier said.
This year is the first year Educational Excellence Week has been opened to the students and staff at Tarleton.
April 19, 2021 marks the first day of the Educational Excellence Week hosted by the Center for Educational Excellence. During this five day virtual showcase, students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to present their work in the following categories: teaching excellence; research and creative activities; applied and experimental learning and community engagement and service learning. The event will be held synchronously and asynchronously via Canvas.
“The goal of EE [Educational Excellence] week is to celebrate excellence in teaching, research, applied and experiential learning including study abroad, study Texas and community engagement and service learning. The event is April 19 through 23,” assistant professor, Dr. Amber Bozer said.
For those with an idea about how to improve engagement in the classroom both online and face-to-face, the teaching excellence category is the one for you to watch. Over the past few years, speakers from the Excellence in Teaching Conference (EITC) have highlighted the importance of engaged teaching. This year, a different itinerary was followed due to COVID-19 and now students are able to upload their video ideas about tips and tricks for teaching.
For those with an exploratory heart, the research and creative activities is the category to strive towards. Creative activities include all forms of artwork, expression and cultural expressions. In the past, these presentations occurred during the Student Research and Creative Activities Symposium. Now, the event is opened up to students in order to expand the outreach and encourage staff and students to practice excellence.
For hands-on learners, the applied and experimental learning category is the best category to watch.

This is a great opportunity for students and faculty to showcase the impact of their work. Applied learning is defined as the educational approach in which students learn by models and direct applications of skills.
For those that have a heart for helping others, the community engagement and service learning category is ideal. Service learning is a teaching method that combines community support with co-curriculum’s in order to improve student’s academic skills.
“This is a wonderful week on campus that highlights and celebrates the accomplishments of students and faculty. It is an honor to work alongside so many wonderful faculty and with the outstanding Tarleton students,” Department of Health and Human performance professor, Stephanie Nelson said.
For more information about Educational Excellence Week, visit tarleton.edu/cee/ee-week.html.