Arcadia University History Professor Receives Adjunct Faculty Award
Glenside, Pa.—April 29, 2010—Arcadia University Adjunct History Professor, Dr. Vance Kincade, received the Arcadia University Adjunct Faculty Award, given for the 21st time in the University’s history at Honors Convocation.
The award is given to that part-time instructor whom students and faculty judge to be an exemplary teacher and outstanding contributor to the Arcadia community.
“Since the spring semester of 2001, Professor Kincade has established himself as an outstanding classroom teacher at Arcadia, whose enthusiasm for teaching and desire to motivate students to do their best work is patently obvious to all who enroll in his courses,” said Dr. Steve O. Michael, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. “His Department Chair noted that he has shown ‘a tremendous willingness to do what is best for his students and for the Department in general.’
“As one of his nominators wrote,” continued Michael, “‘Professor Kincade deserves this honor in my opinion because he inspires me to continue to learn and to think critically. I have the drive to learn, but sometimes professors like Dr. Kincade remind you why learning is a lifelong endeavor and that it is something we should always be mindful of every time we meet a new day.’ Another student added, ‘His lectures are interesting, keep us involved and genuinely teach us the overall essence of whichever time period we are learning.’ Such comments are indicative of the rapport Professor Kincade seeks to establish with his students and of the personal approach he brings to his teaching.
“This year’s Adjunct Faculty Award Selection Committee couldn’t have agreed more with these observations,” added Michael. “Given Professor Kincade’s passion for his teaching, his caring and supportive attitude, and his ability to effectively and innovatively teach history, the committee members concluded that Vance Kincade would be a most worthy recipient of this award.”
“My goal is to make students realize that the past is relevant today,” said Kincade. “Whether we are examining the bank wars of the 1820s and 1830s and comparing them to the bank scandals of today or discussing the relevance of Jacksonian period reforms and how they shape our levies now, history affects all aspects of our life. I engage the students in challenging activities which develop practical skills that they’ll incorporate into their futures. Lots of corporations hire historians to write their company history and some historians pursue teaching tracks. History majors can apply their people skills, communication and public speaking skills and research skills to any number of careers.”
Kincade also is the author of Heir Apparent: Solving the Vice Presidential Dilemma, published in 2000 by Praeger Publishers. The book looks at two vice presidents, Martin Van Buren and George Bush who were both elected president while serving as vice president and Kincade analyzes their victories and offers a path for future vice presidents seeking the presidency.
Kincade earned a B.A. in 1988 from Syracuse, a M.A. in 1990 from Villanova and his Ph.D. in 1996 from the University of Miami.
About Arcadia University: Arcadia University is a top-ranked private university in metropolitan Philadelphia and a national leader in study abroad, ranked #1 in undergraduate participation in study abroad (Open Doors 2009). Arcadia University promises a distinctively global, integrative and personal learning experience that prepares students to contribute and prosper in a diverse and dynamic world. U.S. News & World Report ranks Arcadia University among the top master’s universities in the North, as one of the top study abroad programs in the nation, and as a “top up-and-coming school.” The Physical Therapy program is ranked 7th in the nation.
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