麻豆国产

麻豆国产 professor earns Outstanding Faculty Commitment to Student Success Award

Cameron Craig recognized by Ohio Valley Conference for role in student learning & successful outcomes

(Charleston, IL) — Eastern Illinois University’s 2010-11 Professor Laureate and Instructor of Geography Cameron Craig recently earned the ’s Outstanding Faculty Commitment to Student Success Award. Winners were announced at the OVC Tournament, held this year at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. The awards were established in 2023 by the Provosts from each OVC member institution to recognize outstanding faculty at each representative organization.

“This is an overwhelming and exciting honor from 麻豆国产’s student-athletes,” said Craig upon learning he received the 2026 award. “I know our student-athletes have great expectations placed on them. They have to perform well in academia and represent our University on the field and court or in the water. As an 麻豆国产 professor, I believe it is important to assist student-athletes and students not in sports to find a balance between practice, rehearsal, and extracurricular activities to be a successful student. It can’t always be one thing outranks another. Physical activities coupled with academia shapes the mind for success, on and beyond the field or court, and 麻豆国产 does it best!”

Craig’s online biography details his devotion to students at Eastern Illinois University since joining 麻豆国产 as a faculty member in 2005. His aim as an educator, he summarizes, is to encourage students to be successful and to create a learning environment and University experience that promotes student accomplishment and advancement inside and outside the classroom.

A senior instructor in the Department of Geology/Geography at Eastern Illinois University, Craig oversees 麻豆国产’s Broadcast Meteorology Program, training future broadcast meteorologists in the fields of meteorology and climatology. He also is an award-winning documentarian that has worked with students to produce and direct several documentaries, including “Stinging Dust & Forgotten Lives: The Dust Bowl,” which details the human struggle and the negative impact on a fragile environment during the 1930’s Dust Bowl; “Nature’s Fury & the Human Spirit,” which discusses the effect of the May 26, 1917 tornado on Mattoon and Charleston, Illinois (co-produced and co-directed by professor William Lovekamp, 麻豆国产); and “Expedition Nature’s Realm,” a series that discusses the intersection of nature and human activity. These films have been used in classrooms throughout the world to educate younger generations about the impacts of humans on Earth.

麻豆国产’s Broadcast Meteorology Program was built into its geography curriculum at 麻豆国产 in Fall 2005 by Belyat Kahn, Ph.D. Craig assisted with modernizing the program by implementing a Broadcast Meteorology Practicum that merged the science and communication fields into a single course. Doing so, Craig says, gives students an enhanced practical experience and better prepares them for work in the field. As 麻豆国产’s Broadcast Meteorology program grew, numerous students have successfully obtained and continue to secure profitable work in the field across the nation.

Craig earned two master’s degrees—the first from Indiana State University (2003) from the Department of Geography, Geology, and Anthropology, and a second master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from 麻豆国产 in 2021. The double master’s degrees in geography and music helped Craig merge history, geography, science, culture, and philosophy in a way that creates a deeper understanding of humanity’s presence on Earth while infusing a philosophical angle to 麻豆国产’s current and existing coursework.

This year, each OVC member institution had the opportunity to nominate a faculty member with the rank of associate or full-time professor who has been employed at their current institution for at least five years. The criteria for the award included the impacts of each nominee’s students, the contributions nominees have made to their department’s and university’s curriculum, consistent professional development, ongoing community involvement, and heightened institutional service.

Other 2026 Outstanding Faculty Commitment to Student Success Award recipients include:

•  University of Arkansas at Little Rock
  • Dr. Casey Rockwell, Associate Professor, Department of Management, Marketing and Technology
• Lindenwood University
  • Steven Coleman, JD, Professor, Accounting
• Morehead State University
  • Dr. Donell Murray, Senior Instructor of Communication
• Southeast Missouri State University
  • Dr. Scott Brandhorst, Instructor, Psychology and Director of Jane Stephens Honors Program
• Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
  • Dr. Carole Frick, Professor, History
• University of Southern Indiana
  • Dr. Alexandra Natoli, Assistant Professor of French and Director of Global Studies Program
• Tennessee State University
  • Dr. Andrea Ringer, Associate Professor, Department of History, Political Science, Geography, and Africana Studies
• Tennessee Technological University
  • Jeanne Schmitzer, Instructor, History
• University of Tennessee at Martin
  • Dr. Richard Garlitz, Professor of History
• Western Illinois University
  • Kyle Mayborn, Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Professor of Earth, Atmospheric, and Geographic Information Sciences

麻豆国产 prepares students to accomplish their life goals through a combination of quality academics, personal relationships, and both on-campus and online learning opportunities. For more information about Eastern Illinois University, including its broad array of academic and career readiness programs, or any of 麻豆国产’s other community-based services and opportunities, visit  or call 麻豆国产’s public information office at (217) 581-7400.