CLEVELAND – Miami University’s Dr. Rodney Coates has been named the winner of the 2022 Mid-American Conference Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Success. This third year award recognizes one full-time faculty nominee from each MAC institution who has demonstrated a dedication to student success and one overall conference winner.
 
“I want to congratulate Dr. Coates on his selection for this honor.” said MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher. “His passion for working with students and assisting them in their educational pursuits is impressive. Dr. Coates is most deserving of this honor.”
 
“Dr. Coates personifies Miami’s mission — a commitment to student success, inclusive excellence, graduating champions, and making a global impact,” said Miami University President Gregory Crawford. “His passion, sense of purpose, and collaborative spirit have helped to transform society. This recognition is well deserved, and we are so grateful for the work he had done to move Miami forward and his dedication to building humanity.”
 
Coates is a Professor of Global and Intercultural Studies at Miami University. Coates is a public sociologist, which, to him, means that the work he does must have an impact in the wider communities — both within and external to the university. He has conducted bias training for school districts and municipalities, police, and universities. He works with local communities, corporations, and Miami University to establish pathways to progress for under-represented students in such fields as STEM, business, and law. At Miami University he was the driving force for the creation of the Miami-Cincinnati Scholars program which provides full scholarships for underrepresented students going into STEM.
 
He has developed and taught a wide assortment of courses such as Introduction to Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, Introduction to Social Justice, Critical Race and Post- Colonial Structures, Civil Rights and Social Movements, and Human Rights and Social Movements. His course on globalization, social justice, and human rights, which links universities from around the globe (to include the United Kingdom, Moscow, Milano Italy, Spain, British Columbia) has received several awards and been featured in published articles.
 
Coates developed a summer bridge program for scholar-athletes in their freshman year. This course, treating the athletes as if they were honors students, sets the expectations and curriculum to challenge them to perform way above what they believe they could ever accomplish. Increasing GPA and graduation rates have increased each year the program has been offered.
 
“I am deeply honored and humbled to receive the MAC Outstanding Award,” said Coates. “It means a lot, but I would be remiss if I did not thank the coaches and their staff, the support from Athletics for all that they do.  We are indeed a team, working together serving our student-athletes. Lastly, I must thank the student-athletes who rose to the challenge.”
 
For more on this year’s Outstanding Faculty institutional winners, click HERE