Christian Beam Receives Adjunct Faculty Presidential Award
Press Release
Date: May 2, 2024
Contact: lgarrett@tctc.edu
PENDLETON --- Christian Beam, history and humanities lecturer at Tri-County Technical College (TCTC), received the College’s 2024 Adjunct Faculty Presidential Award today (May 2).
This award is given annually at the spring faculty/staff convocation to the adjunct faculty member who is recognized for excellence in teaching, who has consistently high student evaluations and who supports the philosophy and goals of the College.
In their nomination letter, colleagues from the Arts and Sciences Division noted Beam’s commitment to students, his profession, and to TCTC.
Beam began teaching a new course, Technology and Society, at TCTC in the fall of 2020, just as the College was emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic and resuming hybrid in-person instruction. By spring 2021, he was teaching in all of the history and humanities subjects, including Western Civilization and American History, in addition to Technology and Society. “His flexibility in both subject areas and modalities, as well as his willingness to work at all campuses and at all class times, made him the obvious choice for promotion when a lecturer position opened in fall 2021,” said Kathleen (Katy) Hardy, program director for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Since his promotion to lecturer, Beam has taught these courses and the History of Technology and Society courses in all modalities and at the Easley and Oconee campuses. When the REACH Act designated American History Discovery to the Present as a required course, he helped TCTC meet student demand by developing and teaching new five-week and May term online modalities for the summer 2022 and summer 2023 terms. “Christian’s adaptability, readiness, and commitment are integral in allowing the School of Humanities and Social Sciences to achieve our mission of meeting students’ needs through delivering quality instruction,” said Hardy.
Beam’s enthusiasm for teaching is reflected in student evaluations, which reference the academic and intellectual impact he has had on them. One student taking an online course noted, “In my experience, this was the best use of online resources I’ve seen.”
Students also recognize Beam’s classroom as one of support and inclusion. One student wrote, “This was one of the best classes I’ve taken here. He loves the subject and cares about students and their grades. He enjoys being there. He really wants us to succeed and do well.”
Another student credited Beam’s class for transforming them into an active lifelong learner. “I have been on this earth 29 years, and have only now gotten to the point where I believe history is not only repeating itself, but learning about it so it possibly could be stopped is a must learn, and that is thanks to Mr. Beam.”
Colleagues says he is committed to institutional and community service. Beam serves on TCTC’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Council. Despite not being able to attend meetings due to his teaching schedule, he still volunteered to participate in the Community Action Poverty Simulation activity sponsored by the College and United Way of Anderson County. This experience sensitizes participants to the realities of poverty and creates awareness of the challenges under-resourced individuals face every day.
Fellow faculty members said Beam took the initiative to learn academic advising, an opportunity but not a requirement of the lecturer position. “He quickly became proficient with the intricacies of transfer advising for the Arts and Sciences Division. He also served as a Bridge to Clemson advisor for the previous two summers. Christian also demonstrates superior collegiality by routinely offering to share teaching resources, lesson plans, and online shells with his fellow instructors,” faculty members wrote in their nomination letter.
Beam’s involvement at TCTC extends beyond the classroom. In fall 2021, he became an adjunct representative on the Faculty Senate and continues to hold this seat. Social sciences instructor Stacey Frank, who previously served as Faculty Senate president, said, “Christian is always first to raise his hand to volunteer to do anything at all. He's currently serving on two subcommittees; one evaluating the current purpose and charter of the Senate holistically, while the other is focusing on adjunct instructor concerns. He brings all of his passions, knowledge, and experiences to the table, 100%, every day. I appreciate his dedicated service to our students, faculty, and community, in addition to his service to our country.” (Beam is a U.S. Navy veteran.)
“His actions and behaviors truly embody the College’s mission: Passionate people transforming lives and building strong communities one student at a time,” said Hardy.
Beam holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from California State University Northridge. He also earned an associate in arts from the College of the Canyons.
Over the past 21 years, he has been a history instructor, teaching both community college and advanced placement courses in California. In 2018 he received the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) Outstanding Teacher of the Year award. He and his wife moved to South Carolina in 2021 and he continued teaching online history course for Moorpark College and the College of the Canyons until joining TCTC.
About Tri-County Technical College
Tri-County Technical College, a public two-year community and technical college serving Anderson, Oconee and Pickens Counties in South Carolina, enrolls more than 9,000 students annually and offers more than 70 major fields of study, including computer technology, business administration, mechatronics, nursing, and university transfer programs. Tri-County boasts the highest student success rate among two-year colleges in the state and ranks in the top one percent nationally for successful student transfers to four-year colleges and universities. To learn more, visit tctc.edu.
-30-
