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Grayson College Professor Nominated for Renowned Award


Grayson College Fine Arts Department Chair Dr. Brandy Fair has been nominated for the Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award. This prestigious award is based on nominations from colleges across the state of Texas.

Fair has been a speech professor at Grayson College since 2005 and has served as chair of the Fine Arts Department since 2011. In her role as chair, she is responsible for curriculum development, faculty leadership and is a key advisor to the Dean of Academic Instruction.

“In addition to her work in the classroom, Dr. Fair has served as coordinator of the Honors College since 2014. In this role, she partnered with local law enforcement agencies to provide learning and community service opportunities for honors students to create public service announcements and coordinate 5K runs to support initiatives benefitting Officer Down,” said Dr. Jeremy McMillen, Grayson College President.

Service is part of her being, and Fair gives back in other ways to the college as well. She has been president of the Faculty Association and has served on various committees, including Grayson’s Campus Preparedness Team, Curriculum Committee, Instructional Services Assessment Committee and Student Success Goal Team. 

Fair’s work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, and she has presented at numerous conferences on communication. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Communication Studies from the University of North Texas and her doctorate from Texas A&M University-Commerce. 

The Piper Professor Award was established by the San Antonio–based Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation in 1958 to annually recognize outstanding college professors across Texas. Selection is made on the basis of nominations; each two and four-year college and university in the state may submit only one nominee annually.

The Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation will honor 10 professors during the 2016–2017 academic year for their dedication to the teaching profession and for their outstanding academic, scientific and scholarly achievement. Each Piper Professor receives a certificate of merit, a gold pin and a $5,000 honorarium. Official announcement of award winners will be made May 1, 2017.