Buies Creek, N.C.–First-year professor, Dr. Nicholas J. Swartz, visiting assistant professor of government at Campbell University, has received the coveted Professor of the Year award from the Campbell University Student Government Association.Elected by the student body, the Professor of the Year is an individual who has not only earned students’ affection and respect, but has also demonstrated effective and successful teaching methods, according to Student Activities Director Chris O’Connor. “What an honor to have been nominated for the award in the first place,” said Swartz, a native of Smithfield, N.C. “It is even more of an honor to have received the award with this being my first year as a full-time college professor. I want to thank all of the students who voted for me.”Swartz will join the faculty of James Madison University in the fall, but he is also sad to leave Campbell.”I will certainly miss being here,” he said. “I want the students to know that they have truly made an impact on my life, and they will always hold a special place in my heart.”Swartz graduated from The University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNC-W) in 2001. He went on to earn a Master of Public Administration (MPA) at UNC-W and a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.Although new to teaching, Swartz has packed a lot of experience into the intervening years between graduation and his first full-time position. He was an adjunct instructor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Central Piedmont Community College and served as a research associate at the Center for Transportation Policy Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.In addition, his published works include entries in the “Political Encyclopedia of U.S. States and Regions,” forthcoming; “City-County Consolidations: Promises Made, Promises Kept?” published by M.E. Sharpe, also forthcoming; and “Connecting Knowledge and Policy: The Promise of Community Indicator Projects in the United States,” co-authored with M. Dluhy and published in Volume 79, Number 1, of “Social Indicators Research.”Swartz is also working on several ongoing projects, including articles on the impact of light rail systems, the influence of governance structure and mode of transportation on the growth of metropolitan regions and the need for the development of a new approach to estimating the economic impact of airports on regional economy. “I enjoy researching how local governments can operate more efficiently coupled with a better understanding of the impacts government services have on their service area,” said Swartz. “It allows me to bring real world examples into classroom discussions and to demonstrate that what we talk about in class isn’t just theory but actually happens in the real world. I am a firm believer in presenting real world applications to the students.”Photo Copy: Dr. Nicholas Swartz
Swartz named Campbell University Professor of the Year