PEMBROKE — For Nursing professor Cherry Beasley, it isn’t the way she delivers lectures at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
Her students’ success hinges on them having the tools to be great learners.
“Lots of times we forget that students have to be taught a lot of things related to how to be a learner,” said Dr. Beasley, the Belk Endowed Professor in Rural and Minority Health.
“The content in my discipline, and in all disciplines, is going to be outdated in five years. But I can teach you how to learn and how to be curious,” she said.
“One of my biggest struggles is how do I help whet the appetite of the student to want to be motivated. If I can teach them to think and be willing to be a learner, and be enthusiastic, they can master any content.”
For 25 years, Beasley has worked on her craft. She has been honored with the 2017 Award for Excellence in Teaching. The UNC Board of Governors presents the award each year to one faculty member from each of the 17 universities. Recipients receive a $12,500 stipend and a bronze medallion.
“It is quite an honor,” Beasley said. “I don’t think there is anything more satisfying than your colleagues recognizing that you are doing a good job at what you are striving to do.
“For me, being a teacher is the quintessential role in my life. I have been a nurse. I have practiced, but being a college professor, you get to put it all together.”
Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings described Beasley as a leader in all aspects of her profession: teaching, research and service.
