Congratulations to Beverly Reed, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences at 5X for being selected as Kent State’s 2025 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Success. Reed is one of only 11 institutional winners of the award given to recognize the outstanding efforts of MAC faculty to support and develop students both inside and outside of the classroom.
“Dr. Reed’s achievements in the area of student success are incredibly important and impressive,” Nathan Ritchey, Ph.D., interim chair and professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, said. “Her work, based on sound pedagogy, has produced ever-increasing student success in the classroom. Her work with our graduate teaching assistants, and subsequent mentoring, has produced terrific teachers and prepared graduates. Beverly’s leadership in our department is greatly appreciated and valued.”
Reed said she felt that the application process was almost as rewarding as earning the recognition itself because the letters the students wrote for her were endearing.
“I asked four students to write letters, expecting one or two back,” Reed said. “I received all four back within a day, all with the most heartfelt sentiments. I was truly touched. Even if I didn’t ‘win’, I had (and will keep) those letters from my students. In addition, having our department chairperson care enough to nominate me was especially meaningful. And of course, representing our university as the nominee to the overall MAC Outstanding Faculty for Student Success Award has been an incredible honor.”
About Dr. Reed
Reed has been teaching for 50 years and said she still loves the challenge of reaching, inspiring and influencing her students.
“I hope my students leave my classroom with a firm belief that they CAN do mathematics, with an understanding of WHY we do mathematics, and a realization that with an inquisitive mind, a good work ethic and a sense of play, that the world of mathematics can be theirs,” Reed said.
Her teaching philosophy emphasizes a focus on the student. “My field of study is mathematics, but I teach students,” Reed said. “I try to reach them at their level, listen to their thinking, and scaffold them to higher levels of understanding. I would say that listening to students is a most important characteristic of good teaching. To help them succeed, one also needs to care about them as people, respect and support them, being flexible (and maintaining a sense of humor) with them as they navigate their years at our university.”
She began her career as a high school mathematics teacher at Villa Angela Academy in Cleveland, then came to Kent State in 1986 and has been happily teaching, coordinating coursework, and creating curriculum ever since. She earned her Bachelor of Arts (1975) and Master of Arts (1979) degrees in mathematics from John Carroll University and her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Kent State in 2007. Her hometown is Independence, Ohio, and she currently lives in Stow with her husband, Jim.
She was inspired by her high school mathematics teacher, Pat Gaski at Lourdes Academy in Cleveland, where she excelled in the classroom, in student government and intramural athletics. Highlights of her career include implementing an innovative approach to teaching statistics on a large scale and implementing a research-based approach to teaching algebra. Her focus has always been on helping students succeed. She was the recipient of the Kenneth Cummins Outstanding Mathematics Teacher Award from the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics in 2013 and a recipient of the inaugural NTT Service Award for outstanding service to the Mathematics Department in 2023. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and being active outdoors. She is an active volunteer in the Trailblazer Program in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
When asked what she enjoys most about working at Kent State and teaching students, Reed said “I enjoy the exuberance of their youth, their idealism and sharing in their success and struggles. I like helping them understand mathematics, so that they consider it something to appreciate, enjoy and use rather than something to memorize for the next exam.”
About the Awards
Now in its sixth year, this student-focused award is distinguishable from academic or research-based awards as it celebrates the commitment of the MAC to a holistic student experience and the creation of an environment that supports success in school and in life.
Eligibility for this award is broad in nature in an effort to identify a wide range of outstanding means by which faculty are significantly impacting students, and to create an opportunity to recognize the various ways that student success is supported within the MAC. It is the hope of this award that the 11 nominees represent a diverse community that demonstrate support for student success throughout their entire collegiate experience.
Previous faculty award selections from Kent State include Linda Spurlock (2020), Julie Mazzei (2021), Heather Caldwell (2022), Kelly Knapp-Blay (2023) and Kathryn Wilson (2024).
To read the full press release from the Mid-American Conference, visit: