March 27, 2023
Due to a voracious passion for impacting her students, Rosemary Davis, an instructor of English at the Poplarville Campus, has been selected as Pearl River Community College’s Humanities Teacher of the Year.
Davis gave her presentation, ‘ENGLISH IS A NECESSARY EVIL: Helping the At-Risk Student Succeed,’ on March 3 in Poplarville. The talk first addressed how a mandatory English Composition course will touch all students on this campus, including those most at risk. She then addressed the different ways she has found to improve necessary habitual behaviors for success.
The annual award is part of the council’s programming to recognize academics at all of Mississippi’s colleges — public and private, two-year and four-year — by having them share their interests in a public setting. The award is funded by the Mississippi Humanities Council and includes recognition at the Mississippi Humanities Council’s 2023 Public Awards Ceremony on March 24. PRCC academic leaders in the humanities, led by Provost Dr. Martha Lou Smith, worked to identify a worthy nominee whose efforts in the classroom and service to the college deserve to be recognized.
“Rosemary Davis is an energetic instructor who is able to foster a sense of confidence in her students,” said Deana Holifield, Humanities and Social Sciences Chair on the Poplarville Campus. “Through her efforts and support, many students who feel they “can’t write” come to realize that, with work and guidance along the way, they can be successful. Mrs. Davis is as great a coach and cheerleader as she is an instructor.”
Davis graduated from William Carey University with a bachelor’s degree in English/Minor in Music (Piano) in 1997 and a Master of Arts Degree in Education in 1998, with additional graduate hours in the following years.
She has been an instructor at PRCC since 2016. Davis works with at-risk students, going beyond teaching just English Composition, and making sure students have the tools they need for success. From teaching a new transfer student how to operate the Learning Management System to teaching them to use & set up their new computer, to helping the student learn their way around campus, her goal is to do whatever it takes to help students meet their educational goals.
Davis is married to Charlie Davis of Hattiesburg, MS. They have four children: Luke Davis, Sydney Claire Davis, Hunter Davis, and Levi Davis. She is the daughter of Joyce Finney of Amory, MS, and the late Frank Finney of Amory, MS.
“I am honored to be named this year’s Humanities Instructor of the Year for Pearl River Community College.,” said Davis. “I have learned so much about teaching college students from my fellow colleagues plus from instructors who came before us.
“I am fortunate to have taught so many wonderful students and find much happiness in hearing about their achievements after graduation.”
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Article by Laura O’Neill. Photography by River Roderick.
