Tammy Crawford, sports managament associate professor, has received the Richard G. Law Excellence Award, an award honoring WSU professors who teach UCORE classes.

Crawford teaches the Diversity course for the sports management program, along with Sport and Popular Culture and Sport Finance. 

“The selection committee was thoroughly impressed not only by the number of students Crawford has impacted but also with how she has developed and refined an innovative student-centered pedagogy that is process-oriented, collaborative and experiential,” said UCORE director Ashley S. Boyd.

Crawford was officially awarded for her teaching accomplishments at a ceremony on April 26 at the Lewis Alumni Center, Boyd said. 

Crawford said she likes to incorporate hands-on activities in class to increase engagement, community and learning in a classroom.

“The goal in any classroom is to have a positive impact on students’ education, however with UCORE classes that can sometimes hold 200 people, it can be more difficult,” Crawford said.

Her nomination materials reveal the work of a teacher who teaches Sports Management through a variety of educational tools and by involving students in the process of understanding how their perspectives influence their understanding of the world, which embodies the spirit of general education, Boyd said.

“I think many students just think of the UCORE classes as a requirement for credit, but I try to encourage students to take interest and learn about something they potentially haven’t thought of before,” Crawford said.

Crawford’s work, especially in the Core to Career assignment, demonstrates their ability to engage students in applying key concepts of equity and justice to their future careers, Boyd said.

Crawford said in her diversity classes, she attempts to demonstrate to students how diversity impacts their everyday lives. 

“Even if they don’t use sports management, diversity is applicable to nearly everyone’s daily life, so I do my best to help students understand the complexity of topics such as these in class,” she said. 

Crawford said she finds partner activities and those alike are the most useful when wanting to increase student engagement and learning. COVID-19, among other factors, has limited student interaction and participation in classrooms, however, it is slowly getting back to normal.

“The award is a good way to acknowledge faculty for trying to find normalcy and connection in class after the pandemic,” Crawford said.