Dr. Mary Louise “Mel” Bringle, Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies and Chief Faculty Marshal at Brevard College, was recently honored by the Association for General and Liberal Studies as the 2025 recipient of the Jerry G. Gaff Faculty Award for Outstanding Teacher. Bringle accepted the award at the 66th annual AGLS Constitute held earlier this month in Louisville, Kentucky.
Bringle, currently in her 26th academic year teaching at Brevard College and 43rd year overall as a college professor, was unanimously selected as the nation’s Outstanding Teacher by the AGLS awards committee. She was chosen from a national pool of nominees for this year’s award that recognizes faculty who have “demonstrated leadership on their campuses, shown evidence of outstanding teaching in general and liberal education courses, and have a record of achievement in curriculum development, innovation, or implementation.”
The awards committee was impressed by Bringle’s “decades-long commitment to general and liberal education, her pedagogical creativity, and her leadership in Brevard College’s Learning in Community (LiNC) program. Her work exemplifies the deep integration of teaching excellence, curricular innovation, and the spirit of liberal learning.”
Over the last two decades at Brevard College, Bringle has made major contributions to the General Education program and core curriculum as well as pioneering the College’s LiNC program which creatively pairs courses and professors from two different disciplines to provide students with a variety of perspectives on a subject. Furthermore, she served as the Coordinator of the Integrated Studies major for 12 years where she oversaw 75 different interdisciplinary major projects.
All the while, Bringle has been a stalwart in the classroom, where she primarily teaches freshmen and sophomores, a rarity for a professor of such distinction. In fact, the majority of students will have taken at least one class with Bringle by the time they graduate from BC.
“My passion has always been for first-year and sophomore students who are just at the beginning of their educational journey and willing to be challenged,” said Bringle. “To receive an award for teaching in general education is a very nice seal of approval on what I have been doing for the past four-plus decades.”
Joining Bringle at the annual meeting for the award presentation were her Brevard College colleagues Dr. Jordan Kuck, Associate Professor of History and Chair of the Humanities Division, and Dr. Sarah Maveety, Associate Professor of Biology and Chair of the Science and Mathematics Division.
“The AGLS conference is known for attracting passionate and creative educators,” said Kuck. “Yet, even at such an event, Dr. Bringle was in a class of her own. All of us at Brevard College are lucky to have her as a teacher, colleague and friend.”
Brevard College joins an esteemed group of institutions that have produced past winners of the AGLS Jerry G. Gaff Faculty Awards, including Clemson University, Emory University, Temple University, Virginia Tech and University of Memphis. The award represents the latest example of academic excellence at BC, which has been named one of the Best Colleges in 2026 by U.S. News & World Report as well as being recognized as a College of Distinction both nationally and in the state of North Carolina.
PHOTO CAPTION: Dr. Mel Bringle of Brevard College is presented the 2025 Outstanding Teacher Award by AGLS council member Dr. Jodene DeKorte, Academic Dean and Vice President of the School of Multidisciplinary and Professional Studies at Purdue University Global.