Kate Brown, Robert Riggle among SoCon’s 2018 All-Conference Faculty and Staff

December 18, 2017June 6, 2018last updated on June 6, 2018 at 13:44 Faculty & Staff News Releases

The Southern Conference is recognizing the assistant director of The Citadel’s Academic Support Center, Kate Brown, and business professor, Robert Riggle, Ph.D., as part of its 2018 All-Conference Faculty and Staff award recipients. Staff and faculty representatives from each of SoCon’s 10 member schools are being recognized by the league. The Conference Commissioner, John Iamarino, will present the awards to Brown and Riggle at the Bulldogs home basketball game on Monday, January 29.

SoCon’s announcement stated that, “While the selections were left up to each institution’s discretion, the recipients all shared the common characteristics of demonstrated service to the institution and contributions to campus life and the local community. Faculty members selected have demonstrated strong contributions to teaching, research and/or service, while staff members are being recognized for bringing out the best in others and creating conditions for success.”

About Kate Brown, The Citadel Academic Support Center

“Kate is a committed educator who works untiringly to provide our cadet student athletes with the opportunity to succeed at The Citadel. She is deeply committed to her profession and to her position as Assistant Director of the Academic Support Center,” said Jane Warner, Ed.D., director for The Citadel Academic Support Center and Services for Students with Disabilities. “We are indeed fortunate to have Kate at The Citadel.”

Brown and the academic support center team provided approximately 1,100 tutoring contacts, 2,500 individual appointments, and 5,000 study hall contacts in the 2016-17 school year alone.

“The work that Kate does with our cadet-athletes and coaches is nothing short of outstanding. Kate’s student-centered approach is instrumental in the development of our cadet-athletes as individuals, scholars and leaders. She has had a vast impact on the success our cadet-athletes demonstrate in the classroom and the playing field,” said Kathryn Kroupa, senior associate athletic director for internal operations at The Citadel.

Additionally, Brown served more than 180 cadet-athletes, with 97 percent meeting NCAA’s eligibility criteria and 174 earning SoCon Academic Honor Roll achievement.

“Kate works tirelessly to insure the academic integrity of our cadet student athletes and our athletic programs,” said Lloyd “Chip” Taylor, Ph.D., Citadel professor of psychology, and NCAA faculty athletics representative. “She is a model professional whose contributions to our students them up for successes in the classroom and beyond.”

About Prof. Robert J. “Bob” Riggle, Tommy and Victoria Baker School of Business at The Citadel

Robert J. “Bob” Riggle, Ph.D., is the champion for the Professional Selling Pathway in the Tommy and Victoria Baker School of Business and an associate professor of marketing. Each semester, he engages cadets to compete in intercollegiate sales competitions at the national level, many earning internships and job placements as a result.

“Dr. Bob Riggle is known across The Citadel for his commitment to student success. From the classroom, to his work with students pursuing professional sales along with the career guidance he provides cadets, Dr. Riggle is an outstanding faculty member and most deserved of this recognition by the SoCon,” Connie Book, Ph.D., provost and dean of The Citadel.

His academic credentials are heightened by his sales experience with Coca-Cola Enterprises and Naylor Publications. Riggle is a firm believer in the old adage that “students don’t care how much you know until they first know how much you care.” In recognition of his love of teaching and his dedication to the Corps of Cadets, The Class of 2017 chose Riggle as the recipient of the James A. Grimsley Award for Undergraduate Teaching Excellence.