USM History Professor Receives Mississippi's Humanities Council Teacher of the Year

Hattiesburg, Miss. - The Mississippi Humanities Council recently named a USM history professor the 2015 Teacher of the Year.

And this Southern Miss professor couldn't be any happier.

USM Assistant History Professor, Dr. Matthew Casey said, "It really is an honor, and part of that is because I have seen so many amazing educators at this university and to be recognized among and already high level group of instructors and professors is a pretty powerful feeling."

This professor who teaches Latin American and Caribbean history finds joy in connecting with students and providing a new learning experience for them.

Casey said, "One of the reasons why it's so exciting is that so few students come into my classroom knowing about the region, and so I’m really able to open their eyes of this pretty important part of the world that many people don't know that much about."

Dr. Casey has only taught at USM for four years, but his teaching goals are timeless.

Casey said, "My goal when I’m teaching is to be as clear and precise as possible and do it in a way that really increases critical thinking skills and I think students who come into my class know that I really care about them as individuals that I'm passionate about the material that I teach and so my primary concern is connecting this material that I love so much with the students who really are trying hard to do well in school and I recognize that and I really try to work with each student to develop what it is that their trying to improve upon."