Faculty Senate Chair Has a Lot Going

Debra Price

It has been said that if you want to get something done, give it to a busy person. Debra Price would be one of those, and was recently handed another assignment.

This fall Price is serving as Faculty Senate chair. Last spring she was named the university's Excellence in Teaching award winner.

Price, associate professor in language, literacy and special populations, teaches undergraduate and graduate classes, works on several committees, and runs Faculty Senate meetings, which also requires a great deal of preparation between meetings.

She said that in the past Faculty Senate leaders have obtained and maintained good relationships with the administration, and said that she would work to make sure that continues.

“We have a good university, with a mission—a changing mission,” Price said. Sometimes with a changing mission comes discomfort, she said, but in the end the result will be positive.

Price believes that change is good--“either we change with times or we’ll get left behind."

Price has had many accomplishments in her life, all of which were testaments to her work ethic, but the one of which she is most proud is the Excellence in Teaching award.

“It validated everything I have ever believed, it meant a great deal to be nominated and finally win.”

Price earned a special education-learning disability certification from the University of Missouri in 1986, her master's from Louisiana State in 1982, and her bachelor's from the University of Colorado in 1979.

She has also taught in public and private schools in Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas, and worked as a teaching assistant and assistant instructor at the University of Texas. She earned her Ph. D. from the University of Texas in 1996, the year she began teaching at Sam Houston State.

Price has a number of publications, technical and research reports, grants, and paper presentations, as well as professional service activities. Faculty members and current and former students say her enthusiasm for teaching is what makes her stand out.

Price said the support from her colleagues makes it possible to stay so busy and accomplish so much. She said she would advise students who never seem to have enough time to not get behind, to prioritize and to make commitments in order to achieve goals.

“You have to stay on top of things," she said.

That is one of the Faculty Senate goals, as the group strives to help the university maintain a momentum that other schools have not achieved. This fall, when other universities statewide struggled to grow, SHSU enrollment was up almost 7 percent.

“We are growing so we must be doing something right,” Price said. "Bigger is not always better, but with hard work we can be both."

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SHSU Media Contact: Frank Krystyniak
Dec. 7, 2005
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