Faculty

By Michelle Loria Alvarado, Lydia Chapman Executive Editor, Senior Reporter For Craig Bishop, success in law enforcement is often measured by a target. In firearms training, he tells his students that hitting the mark 70% of the time is the minimum standard for passing. But for Bishop, that is not enough. “That’s three bullets that are not on target. Where did those three bullets go?” he said. “Excellence is hitting the mark 100% of the time and doing it well.” That same pursuit of perfection earned Bishop, professor and director of the criminal justice program, the university’s 2025-26 Teaching Excellence Award. The honor was announced March 5 during chapel. The Conference of Chairpersons, composed of academic deans and department chairs, has presented the award annuall...

By Jasmin Enriquez Martinez Features Editor Judy Hiatt graduated from high school and immediately started working as a bank teller for 10 years, never going to college.  From left to right Jim Hiatt, Judy Hiatt, and their daughter at her retirement party. / TrevEchoes - Jasmin Enriquez Martinez She never imagined that she would be planning students’ most memorable day-graduation.  “Probably the hardest part of my job but the most rewarding part of my job, is planning commencement,” said Hiatt.  After 12 years serving as assistant to the provost and academic affairs, Hiatt will retire in March from her position. Melanie Bowles will take her place once she retires. In 1986, Hiatt moved from Florida to work at Trevecca as the resident director for the dorms in...

By Michelle Loria Alvarado Assistant News Editor Eleni Reed shaking Provost Tom Middendorf’s hand after announcing her as this year’s recipient. Parker Henningsen/ TrevEchoes On March 6, Eleni Reid was announced as the Teaching Excellence Award recipient for the 2024-2025 school year. “The recipient of this year’s award is an outstanding scholar and a dedicated teacher who is always looking for new ways to challenge and equip students,” said Tom Middendorf, university provost, during the Teaching Excellence Award chapel. The Conference of Chairpersons, composed of academic deans and department chairs, has presented the Teaching Excellence Award each year since 1982. This award recognizes excellence in classroom teaching. Faculty are eligible to receive this award by being...

By Alayna Simons Senior Reporter Erica Hayden (left) and Laura Hohman (right) collaborating in their office on Jan. 24. Alayna Simons/ TrevEchoes Trevecca is now a part of a collaboration that received a $1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to offer bachelor's degrees in humanities and liberal arts to prison inmates in Tennessee. Since last spring, Erica Hayden, professor of history, and Laura Hohman, associate professor of history, have been working on implementing humanities courses at a local prison to provide a better life after incarceration. “Most incarcerated people will be released and they will go on with their lives and try to find jobs, reconnect with their families, and rebuild their lives,” said Hohman. “The goal is to rehabilitate, and if you can give pe...

By Kamryn Sanderfer Staff Writer Zack Church. Photo courtesy Trevecca Marketing. Living learning communities and language-intensive housing options in which native Spanish speakers are paired with students looking to improve their language skills are just a couple of the big dreams Zack Church has for the future of residential life at Trevecca.  Church, associate dean of residence life, replaced Rhonda Lillenthial as associate dean of residence life after she retired after serving 36 years in the position.  “I’m looking forward to getting the rhythm of this job down…really getting my feet underneath me there, and then, you know, asking ‘What can we do with residence life in the next five years?’” said Church.  Church first came to Trevecca as a student in 2...

By Michelle Loria Alvarado Contributor Despite diversity growth in the undergraduate student body, the faculty at Trevecca are still mostly white. In the last 10 years, Trevecca’s student body demographic makeup has shifted. This year around 53% of undergraduate students reported being white. Around 87% of Trevecca faculty members are white.  Trevecca administrators said students being able to learn from faculty from different backgrounds is important and minority students seeing their race and culture represented is also important. “The faculty, if you look at the research and the data, they are the most influential on the impact of a student's development. So I do think it's very important for us to have minority representation to reflect the student body,” said Thoma...