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associate professor


Shawn Spurgeon

 

Shawn Spurgeon, associate professor, received the 2018 American Counseling Association (ACA) Counselor Educator Advocacy Award.

 

This award recognizes a counselor educator for work in fostering an awareness of, and expertise in, advocacy among counseling students.

ACA believes it is vital to the continued health and wellbeing of the counseling profession that its members become interested and engaged in advocacy and the policymaking process, and fell comfortable and effective in doing so.

 


Chad Luke, associate professor, won the Tennessee Technological University (TTU) Outstanding Faculty Award in Teaching and the College of Education Research and Creative Endeavors Award. Luke is an alumnus of the Counselor Education program and has been at TTU, in the Department of Counseling and Psychology, for six years.

Chad Luke

“Iā€™m grateful to receive these awards in the same semester (while also being awarded tenure!), as I think it could highlight the complimentary nature of teaching and scholarship.”

 

The TTU Outstanding Faculty Award in Teaching requires both faculty and student nominations. Luke was a finalist out of 800 nominations, and a committee selected him based on his portfolio submission. Their award announcement cited his humanistic approach to challenging students.

He said, “This particular award was a career goal of mine that I had kept to myself. To be recognized for my teaching at a place that is recognized historically as a teaching institution is quite sobering.”

Chad Luke at the College of Education Awards Ceremony

The College of Education Research and Creative Endeavors Award requires a demonstrated active research agenda in publishing, producing, and performing. When asked what made his nomination for this award stand out, Luke explained that he teaches 11 courses a year, on average, so to also have about 20 publications, including refereed journals, book chapters, and a book, seemed to exceed expectations.

He said, “I am proud to receive this kind of recognition in a college that has so many faculty working so hard and achieving so much!”


Counselor Education

Luke earned a PhD with the Counselor Education program in 2009. Originally from Charlotte, NC, he now lives in Cookeville, TN. We asked him to reflect on past experiences with EPC and discuss where he’s at now. Read his responses below.

Current Occupation

Associate Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Tennessee Tech University
Cookeville, TN

Practicum/Internship Coordinator; Teach Multicultural Counseling, Career Development, Theories, Neuroscience for Counselors, Internship

Awards and Accomplishments Earned as a Student
  • Became Director of Career Center at Maryville College
Accomplishments since Graduating
  • Publication of Neuroscience for Counselors: Integrating the Sciences of Mind and Brain (SAGE, 2015)
Personal Interests

Car shopping (not buying šŸ™‚ )
Taking walks with my 7-year-old daughter
Evening Netflix events with wife of almost 17 years
Basic wood-working (and then throwing it out and buying from store)

What was the most memorable experience during your time here?

Failing comps because I had a brain freeze šŸ™‚

Did you end up where you thought you would?

I haven’t ended yet (as far as I know), but teaching is a good fit. More than that, clinical supervision is some of the most rewarding work I’ve done.

How did your experiences as a student help you in your professional/personal life after graduation?

I worked hard in the program, which prepared me to work hard as a faculty member.

“This is an up and coming program, moving quickly into perhaps the top 10 (if not there already), so I feel a sense of pride having gone through it.”