Melanie Reaves

Dr. Melanie Reaves

Associate Professor, Literacy Education, COE

Dr. Melanie Reaves is a deserving recipient of the Faculty Excellence Award due to her contributions to the College of Education, her scholarly work, her creativity and dedication to student success, and her volunteer and accreditation work. She works tirelessly to improve COE’s programs by building community partnerships, revitalizing pedagogies, and fostering student global learning through innovation.

Reaves constantly seeks to improve her teaching through professional development, such as online and HyFlex courses. She is among one of the first faculty in the College of Education to implement HyFlex teaching and employed many innovative strategies to meet the needs of her students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For scholarship, Reaves focuses on ways cognition, sociality, culture, and affect play a role in language, literacy, and learning contexts and processes. She regularly presents at local, regional, state, national, and international levels in professional organizations. In 2020-2021, she presented seven papers and published two manuscripts, with more in the press and under review. A few of her recent presentations were collaborations with MSUB graduate students. Reaves values collegiality and collaboration.

Reaves is currently serving as the President of Northern Rocky Mountain Educational Research Association, the regional affiliate of the American Educational Research Association. In addition to receiving this Faculty Excellence Award, Reaves was selected as a member of the 2022 MUS Teaching Scholars Cohort through which she is organizing a Faculty Learning Community on MSUB’s campus in which faculty can collaborate on innovative teaching projects while also engaging in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Reaves also serves on numerous MSUB committees and is a member of many prestigious regional and national organizations.

In all she does, Reaves exemplifies faculty excellence. She is a valued and trusted colleague in COE and across campus. Reaves truly goes above and beyond to make MSUB a better place for students and her colleagues. She is an exceptional individual and is well-deserving of the Faculty Excellence Award.