Professor of the Year

Mr. Jerry Shawver, Professor of Mathematics at Deerwood's Academic Success Center

With pride and respect, we announce that one of our own faculty members, Mr. Jerry Shawver, Professor of Mathematics at Deerwood's Academic Success Center, has won the prestigious Professor of the Year Award from the Association of Florida Colleges, Faculty Commission.

For nearly 20 years, Jerry has served as a math teacher, first at Terry Parker High School and then at Florida State College at Jacksonville. If one were to ask him, "What do you teach?" Jerry would not reply, "I teach math" but rather "I teach students math." The operative term in this response is "students"; indeed, student-teacher interaction forms the cornerstone of Jerry's teaching philosophy and practice.

Since beginning at Florida State College in 2003, Jerry has participated in numerous professional development opportunities and employs a variety of teaching methods, including mini-lectures, cooperative learning, mastery learning, and supplemental instruction. Adept at curriculum development, Jerry has authored several math textbooks and created online course shells, all while teaching a full load of classes. An innovator in instructional technology, Jerry has led many collegewide efforts to customize various software products to the math curriculum. Not only does he conduct faculty training at the College with the materials that he has developed, but so also does he do so across the state and nation.

In addition to being an outstanding faculty member, Jerry is simply an extraordinary human being. This all-star softball coach, award-winning bass fisherman, and devoted husband and father is beloved by students and colleagues alike.

Please join us in congratulating Jerry Shawver, the Association of Florida Colleges' Professor of the Year.