Peggy McCann Honored with 2013 Eileen Rice Award
for Outstanding Teaching

By Doug Goodnough

When Peggy McCann arrived on the Siena Heights campus in fall 2006, she meant business. The business of sports, that is.

McCann, an associate professor of Sport Management, was honored last spring with the Eileen Rice Award for Out-
standing Teaching, which is selected by previous winners and students. She said she was “shocked” when she learned about the award and called the moment “emotional” when she heard her name announced as the winner.

“It wasn’t anything I was expecting,” said the soft-spoken McCann of the award. “You have to share this award, because you can’t say that you did it all yourself.”

McCann’s “team” approach has worked well in the Sport Management program, which prepares students for careers in the business of sport – including college, professional and recreational. The Illinois native was a former four-sport standout high school athlete who was inducted into her school’s hall of fame as a bowler. McCann realized early that she wanted to carve out a career in an area she is passionate about. The teaching part came later.

“While I was at Michigan State (completing her PhD), I found out I love to teach,” McCann said. “I wanted to get a position in a teaching college.”

And she wanted to stay in Michigan. She heard from a friend about an open faculty position at Siena Heights, and hand-delivered her application to Adrian to check out the campus.

“I liked the feel of campus,” she said of her early impressions. “It was so welcoming and nice. That’s what I wanted. It fits my personality.”

One potential issue was that the open position was in Sport Management, a relatively new field. Although she had a management background, McCann’s doctorate was in sports psychology, and she called her transition “a learning process.”

“There’s still so many people who don’t understand what the field is,” she said. “(I get asked) What do you do in sport management? It’s fighting through misconceptions.”

McCann said the program’s involvement in the local Boys and Girls Club, as well as its community-based learning philosophy and an emphasis on internships, have been successful strategies.

“We have to make it very clear at the beginning that it’s a business, too,” McCann said. “It’s not about playing sports. It’s much different when you’re organizing a basketball tournament instead of playing in one. … It’s a field that you’re going to work hard and going to work long hours. But if you love sports, you’re not going to feel the effects of it.”

One of the students who nominated McCann called her “a trusted guide.”

“Peggy embodies the values of Siena Heights University,” the student continued. “She is known for putting the success of her students and her central aim and their needs often ahead of her own.”

McCann said she cherishes the relationships with her students.

“The students have taught me how to be patient,” she said. “I’ve learned how to get to know them and what they need because I spend so much time with them.”

Here Are Some Other Award Winners from Last Spring’s Honors Convocation:

Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award: Seniors Andy Switzer of Pettsville, Ohio, and Abigail Norris of Tecumseh, Mich., earned the Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award. The Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award is the highest honor given to undergraduate students at SHU. Switzer graduated in May from SHU’s education program, with concentrations in English and history. He graduated magna cum laude with an overall grade point average of 3.88. Norris graduated in May from SHU’s psychology program. She graduated summa cum laude with an overall grade point average of 3.9.

Thomas A. Emmett Award—(Outstanding Junior Scholar-Athlete)—Sederick Dunbar, Brianna Nordby

Team Academic Award—Women’s Soccer, Men’s Golf

Division Outstanding Student Awards

Division of Business and Management—Ruben Becerra, Zachary Stultz

Division of Computing, Mathematics, and the Sciences—Olivia Smith, Jessica Lampkowski

Division of Humanities—Kara Bell-Brey, Andrew Switzer

Division of Nursing—Pre-Licensure: Morgan Choszczyk, Taylor Langenderfer; RN-BSN: Anita Brown

Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences—Cassie Keeping, Abigail Norris

Division of Visual and Performing Arts and Education—Jenna Long, Jessica (Dilyard) Tillotson

Graduate College Outstanding Student Awards—Education: Amber Pedersen; Leadership: Rachel Loftis;
Counseling: Karla Fisher

St. Catherine of Alexandria Medal—Michael Lollo

Staff Excellence Award—Deb Keller, Lori Kunkel

Jack Bologna Award for Innovative Teaching—Mary Brigham

Professor Emeritus—Saleem Peeradina

New Faculty for 2013-14—Jean Dean (Nursing); Michael Kolacz (Business Administration);
Michael O’Connell (Online Humanities); James Loughran (Leadership-Graduate College)