The award from State Nebraska Bank & Trust was presented to history professor Dr. Eric Colvard during the baccalaureate commencement ceremony May 9.
Wayne State College is proud to announce that Dr. Eric Colvard, professor of history, was presented the State Nebraska Bank & Trust Teaching Excellence Award at the college’s May 9 baccalaureate commencement ceremony. Colvard has taught at Wayne State since 2013.
Matthew Ley, chief executive officer and trust officer of State Nebraska Bank & Trust in Wayne, presented the award during the undergraduate ceremony. This prestigious honor recognizes rigorous standards that require a superior level of effective teaching.
David Ley, the bank’s chairman of the board, established the award in 1998 as a way of recognizing and strengthening outstanding teaching at Wayne State College.
State Nebraska Bank & Trust has served the Wayne community for more than 130 years and supports the college in many ways, including numerous scholarships, capital investments, employment of students, and service on the Wayne State Foundation Board of Trustees.
“Teaching at Wayne State College is an incredibly rewarding experience, and I am honored to receive this recognition,” said Colvard. “I would like to thank State Nebraska Bank & Trust, my students, my colleagues, who have also been outstanding teaching mentors for me, and the WSC administration and support staff of all stripes who do the everyday hard work necessary to keep our college dynamic and thriving.”
Colvard teaches courses in world history with a focus on the British Empire and South Asia. He serves on the Faculty Senate and is co-director of the WSC Anthropology Museum, as well as WSC Fulbright Advisor.
Colvard is a Fulbright Scholar and member of the Alcohol and Drugs History Society.
Colvard’s interests include colonial South Asia, the British Empire, and globalization. His current research focus is the connection between the global temperance movement and Indian nationalism.
Colvard earned his bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, his master of arts degree in History from Texas Tech University, and his Ph.D. in History from the University of Iowa.