ECSU professor honored with CSCU Teaching Excellence Award

May 24—Assistant professor of sociology at Eastern Connecticut State University, Nicholas Simon, of Glastonbury, received the Board of Regents of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System's 2022 Excellence in Teaching Award Tuesday.

The Board of Regents (BOR), which governs the 17 Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU), grants awards to CSCU full-time, junior, and part-time faculty members who excel in teaching, research, and creative scholarly work.

The Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Bill Salka, presented Simon with the award at the spring 2022 University Meeting.

Simon started as an adjunct instructor in 2006 at ECSU. While teaching at Eastern, he earned his Ph.D at the University of Connecticut. In 2015, the BOR awarded him the Adjunct Teaching Award. Since he started his tenure, Simon has taught 17 different classes, mentored and instructed 27 independent studies, and 10 internships.

"Some of the best classes I have taken in my major have been with Professor Simon," Shaheera Khan, recent ECSU graduate with a sociology and criminology double major, said. "The presence he brings to a class is indescribable... Most of all, Professor Simon cares. He cares about his job, his students, and his students' success."

— Journal Inquirer Staff