Limestone’s Dr. Jack Knipe Receives “Excellence In Teaching” Award From SCICU

Dr. John Martin “Jack” Knipe, assistant professor of English and Spanish, is Limestone University’s 2023 South Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities “Excellence In Teaching” award recipient.

Knipe was presented with the prestigious honor during the South Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities (SCICU) awards dinner on Tuesday, April 18, in Columbia. Faculty, family members, and friends of independent higher education from across South Carolina joined SCICU at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center to celebrate nearly two decades of “Excellence In Teaching”  faculty awards.

Twenty-one faculty leaders – one per SCICU member institution – were celebrated at the event last week. More than 150 guests, including campus leaders and state legislators, gathered to honor faculty members nominated by their respective institutions for the SCICU “Excellence In Teaching” award. Each recipient was presented with a framed award certificate and a $3,000 professional development grant.

“Dr. Knipe’s work has had an inclusive and positive impact on our students and our entire campus community,” said Limestone Interim President Dr. Monica Baloga. “We are so proud to have Dr. Knipe as a valued member of our faculty. For everything he has done for the study of linguistics at Limestone, he is certainly in a class by himself. He is undoubtedly deserving of this honor from SCICU.”

Knipe holds a Ph.D. in International Education and Linguistics from George Mason University (Fairfax, Va.), a Master of Arts in Spanish from Middlebury College (Middlebury, Vt.), a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Covenant College (Lookout Mountain, Ga.), and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Bob Jones University.

A member of Limestone faculty since 2017, Knipe has taught classes in English, Spanish, Critical Thinking, and Cross-Cultural Communication. He has served on the Global Experience committee teaching related coursework and leading international student trips. Knipe also helps Limestone’s international students navigate higher education in the United States through his work as the international student support coordinator for the Office of Equity & Inclusion.

Knipe’s research focuses on the intersection of language, culture, education, and power. He has presented and published on second language acquisition, translanguaging, and the use of endangered (e.g., Scottish Gaelic, Ixil, Māori), minority (e.g., Scots, Spanish), and nonstandard (e.g., African American Language, Spanglish) languages in education. His research has led him to live, teach, and conduct research in a dozen countries.

Limestone recognized Knipe’s contributions with the 2020 Fullerton Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award and the 2022 Fullerton Foundation Excellence in Scholarship Award.

“At SCICU, we’re honored to recognize our campuses’ deep commitment to their students, embodied by these exemplary educators,” said Jeff Perez, SCICU President and CEO. “Faculty members don’t often have the chance to be honored in the presence of families and friends. We’re always delighted to provide that opportunity.”

The 2023 “Excellence In Teaching”  award recipients represent a wide range of academic disciplines – from languages, music, education, and art to nursing, religion, social sciences, speech-language pathology, and more.

Accompanying photo: Dr. Jack Knipe holds his “Excellence In Teaching” award that was presented to him by the SCICU on April 18.