Seaver College Professor Beau Brannan Receives the Brett J. Love Award for Teaching Excellence
Beau Brannan, a visiting instructor of humanities at Seaver College, was recently awarded the Brett J. Love Award for Teaching Excellence—an honor that highlights a non-tenure track professor within the Humanities and Teacher Education Division for his or her commitment to their students.
“It is a great privilege to be the recipient of this award because I get to join a list of lauded professors like Jonathan Riddle and Kate Bonicci [who are both past recipients of the prize],” says Brannan. “Being in their presence and having such great leadership from our divisional dean, Stella Erbes, has made me a better educator. I’m honored to be recognized alongside such talented peers.”
Brannan began his career in pedagogy as a teacher at Oaks Christian High School, where he taught entrepreneurship. After 18 years working with high school-aged students, he joined Pepperdine University as a faculty member within the Humanities and Teacher Education Division. In this role, Brannan has primarily taught Humanities 111 and 313—foundational courses in Seaver’s curriculum. With students pursuing a broad swath of majors filling his classroom, the teacher turned professor uses the fundamental wisdom within his curriculums to motivate undergraduates.
“My goal as a professor is to help students comprehend and articulate what their hopes and dreams are, then assist them in the process of accomplishing those dreams, ” Brannan says. This intentional effort, students report, helps course content gain relevance outside of the classroom.
The Brett J. Love Award for Teaching Excellence was established in 2003 in honor of a late, visiting faculty member of Seaver College. Brett Love was a professor of English who passed away in April 2003. With this honor, Brannan becomes the 21st recipient of the award.
“The HUTE Division is very fortunate to have Professor Brannan teaching for us,” says Stella Erbes, Dean of the Humanities and Teach Education Division. “This award is intended to honor those who, like its namesake, inspire, stimulate, and challenge their students; those who not only teach their students the basic content of a course, but who also develop in students the ability to think critically and creatively about the world. Professor Brannan definitely succeeds in accomplishing these lofty teaching principles.”