University of the Ozarks Associate Professor Dr. Brett Stone has been awarded the 2016 Outstanding Professor of the Year Award by the Guy Fenter Education Cooperative, which encompasses more than 44,000 students in 22 school districts throughout western Arkansas.
Stone, dean of the U of O Division of Business, Communication and Education, has taught health and physical education at Ozarks since 2008.
The Professor of the Year Award is presented annually by the agency to an individual who has greatly contributed to the education of the students in the area, according to Dr. Curtis Varnell of the cooperative.
Stone, in collaboration with the education cooperative, has helped establish STEM Olympiad for lower elementary school students. A first of its kind, STEM Olympiad allows students to engineer solutions to real-world problems in a competitive setting with students from across the region. Last year’s competition attracted more than 500 students to the U of O campus to compete in the one-day event. Additionally, Stone has been an integral part of the educational cooperatives efforts to assist Kids at Risk through outdoor activities, life-time sports, and small group mentoring.
Stone has also assisted in writing three major grants totaling more than $500,000 for the cooperative. These grants were used to offer science and math professional development institutes to schools throughout the region. He was also recognized for his efforts in promoting health and physical education through outdoor activity and life-time sports.
Stone is the fifth recipient of the award. Past recipients include Steve Zimmer of Arkansas Tech University, Bill Higgins of UA-Fort Smith, and Chad Lowe and Karen Westcamp-Johnson, both of the Huckabee River Valley Nature Center.
Dr. Brett Stone, associate professor of health and physical education, has been named the 2016 Professor of the Year by the Guy Fenter Education Cooperative of western Arkansas.
Topics: Education