Steve Price Selected Distinguished Professor of the Year

MC English professor Steve Price, director of the university's Writing Center

Steve Price is a stellar English professor and extraordinary director of Mississippi College’s Writing Center, colleagues say. His commitment to serving students and his community is literally off the charts.

With that being said, university leaders believe Price is an exceptional choice as MC’s Distinguished Professor of the Year in 2020.

“This is an amazing honor,” Price said. “And given all the names on the list of previous winners, one that I do not take lightly.”

With the announcement coming May 11, colleagues praise the Wisconsin native who earned a doctorate at Louisiana State University. The LSU Tigers fan joined the MC faculty in the fall of 1999.

Getting named the Distinguished Professor of the Year is a well-deserved honor for Dr. Price, says Jonathan Randle, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

During his tenure at the Christian university, “Steve has served and led well in so many crucial ways,’’ Randle said.

As an English professor, director of the Writing Center and as incoming leader of the London Semester program, Steve Price provides exemplary service.

“In all of these capacities, Dr. Price is a model of the thoughtful, caring, and reflective practitioner,” Randle said. “He challenges all of us to see the best in our students, to work hard at fulfilling our vocation, and to change our world for the better.”

As a caring professor and mentor to students, he’s an excellent reflection of the Blue and Gold family.

“He embodies the mission and vision of the university,” adds Randle, the former English department chair.

John Meadors, chair of the Department of English and Philosophy, lauds Dr. Price for his ability to connect with students. That’s evident year-round, but especially amid the COVID-19 crisis.

During Spring weeks of transitioning to online classes, “Steve’s empathy for students has been on full display,” Meadors said.

“His gracious concern for students is matched only by his generous treatment of colleagues and his substantial academic achievement.”

People associated with the Writing Center at the Leland Speed Library are equally proud of Steve Price.

“Dr. Price is the greatest advocate for students I’ve ever seen,” says Lingshan Song, the Writing Center’s assistant director. “He always sees potential in students and commits to bringing the best out of them.”

Dr. Price penned encouraging notes and purchased Chick-fil-A gift cards out of his own pocket as gifts to Writing Center graduates. “This act of kindness is just the epitome of his love for students,” Song said.

No matter where they come from, across the USA or around the globe, MC students quickly find a friend in Dr. Price.

“Community is important to me, and at MC I work with amazing students who trust me when I try to push them,” he said. “I believe that writing and thinking and word can impact the world.”

Away from campus, Price is active as a volunteer with the RideABILITY program. The Brandon-based non-profit serves people on Saturdays with therapeutic horseback riding lessons. Volunteers with the RideABILITY Therapeutic Riding Center enjoy serving people with special needs in Rankin County.

Teaching is embedded in Steve’s DNA. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1989 at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh as an English major with a communication minor. He received an English Secondary Education certificate and began teaching at Slinger High in Wisconsin. Steve taught a college writing class and felt he could teach at a university.

After receiving his master’s in English literature at Arizona State University, LSU became his next stop for a doctorate. “I fell in love with Louisiana and the Tigers and the South. I love the people and the food and the communities down here.”

While he embraced the Mississippi College family, Dr. Price left for four years to take a post at Monmouth College in Illinois where he started its writing center. But he missed Mississippi and was thrilled to return to MC as a faculty member in 2008. “Part of MC’s appeal to me are the opportunities. I’m a person who needs new projects, and MC has always supported me.”