The Student Government Association (SGA) presented the Outstanding Teacher Awards for the 1998-99 academic year on Tuesday night.

Earlier in the year, students were asked to nominate an outstanding teacher and explain why they believed that the nominated teachers deserved to be awarded. 

A board reviewed the nominations and five teachers were chosen to receive the honor. Dr. Ed Turner, Dr. Richard McGarry, Dr. Barry Elledge, Dr. Jeff Goodman and Dr. Robert Falvo are this year’s winners. The recipients represented each of the five colleges at Appalachian State.

Turner won for the College of Fine and Applied Arts. He is a professor of health, leisure, and exercise science and has been at Appalachian State for 31 years. He joked that he would soon be teaching the grandchildren of some of his past students. He also said that he really loves his job. 
“It’s great to do something you love and get paid for it.”

McGarry won for the College of Arts and Sciences. He is an associate professor for the foreign language and literature department. “I never have a lack of words,” he said. “I truly am humbled and speechless.”

Elledge, an economics professor, won for the College of Business. Presenter Preston Powell joked that Dr. Elledge is one of the only people at ASU that remembers seeing the football team play a game on the field where the Rankin Science Building now stands. He has been  teaching for 34 years, 30 of them at ASU.  Elledge summed his career up by saying, “It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.”

Goodman received the award for the College of Curriculum and Instruction. He was very appreciative and expressed a sense of great enjoyment from working with his students. “The excitement of teaching here is to get to work with you,” in reference to his students.

Falvo, Associate Professor of the College of Music and Percussion, had perhaps the most emotional moment of the evening. One of his students broke into tears when speaking of the impact that he had on her life.  

Falvo was presented as being a caring, supportive, knowledgeable and talented man. He was on the verge of tears when he received the award. 
After the presentation of the awards, the members of  SGA gave the award winners a standing ovation. 

The outstanding teachers also attended a breakfast held in their honor Wednesday morning.