DR. NANCY ROBERTS NAMED DISTINGUISHED FACULTY AWARD RECIPIENT

DR. NANCY ROBERTS NAMED DISTINGUISHED FACULTY AWARD RECIPIENT

• BHSU Communications
• 19 April 2024

Black Hills State University recognized Dr. Nancy Roberts, professor of voice, opera, and music education, as the recipient of the 2024 BHSU Distinguished Faculty Award.

Roberts was recognized for her professional achievements, dedication to teaching, and exemplary service to the University. BHSU President Steve Elliott and Dr. Jon Kilpinen, provost, presented the award to Roberts and congratulated her on earning the highest faculty honor at BHSU.

Candidates for the Distinguished Faculty Award are nominated by BHSU faculty members and reviewed by the Distinguished Faculty Committee. The committee makes a recommendation to the Faculty Senate who then recommends a final candidate to the Provost. "Nancy exemplifies all that is outstanding at BHSU," a faculty nominator said of Dr. Roberts. "She embodies the personal investment and commitment to excellence that BHSU seeks to promote."

Since 2007, Dr. Roberts has been an integral part of the music faculty at Black Hills State University. She started at the university after completing her Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice at the University of Kansas. "Dr. Roberts is a truly remarkable professor. Her current students speak of her in glowing terms," wrote another BHSU faculty member in their nomination of Roberts. "I have often seen her visiting with alums who have returned to campus to visit her. Many contact her privately for professional advice. She maintains contact with many graduates from the music department."

Roberts is an active member of the BHSU Faculty Senate, serving as President from 2021- 2023. "The individual who serves as an effective Faculty Senate President must be willing to invest much time and energy into that responsibility, which Nancy has fulfilled with passion and perseverance. It was most enjoyable to be a part of Faculty Senate during Nancy's tenure as President," wrote a third nominating faculty member of Roberts.

Roberts is an accomplished performer and frequently lends her vocal talents to productions hosted by BHSU and surrounding communities. She has been a featured soloist with the Black Hills Symphony Orchestra, The Black Hills State University Concert Choir, the Dakota Choral Union, the Northern Hills Chorale, the Rapid City Municipal Band, and The Chamber Music Festival of the Black Hills. She has also directed several theatrical productions at BHSU and performing arts centers in the area.

Outside of classes, Roberts spends time in local high schools assisting recent BHSU graduates in the teaching field. She teaches private voice lessons to a number of middle, high school, and college-aged students and is regularly asked to serve on music judge panels and conduct master classes. She also volunteers at local elementary and preschools with music education students.

Most recently, Roberts had four of her students place in the North Dakota chapter of the National Association of Teachers Singing Competition.

Nancy and her husband, Sean, have two kids, Grace (15) and Lucy (13).