Mentzer Award for Inspirational Teaching

The Mentzer Award for Inspirational Teaching was created by alumna Susan Mentzer-Blair and her husband, William “Bill” Blair to honor a full-time professor recognized by Shepherd students for being particularly inspiring and having a profound effect on his or her students. According to Mentzer-Blair, her brother, Dr. John Thomas “Tom” Mentzer, served as inspiration for the award because he received a similar accolade from his Ph.D. candidate students at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he held the Bruce Chair of Excellence in the business department.

MAIT honors Mentzer-Blair’s brother, who passed away in 2010, as well as her mother, who followed in 2014. A portion of each of their estates was used to create this recognition through the Shepherd University Foundation. Mentzer-Blair is a retired school counselor with Frederick County Public Schools in Maryland and her husband is also a retired educator, having taught history and worked as a school counselor with Jefferson County Public Schools.

2026 Mentzer Award for Inspirational Teaching:  Dr. Zach Musselman

Associate Professor of Geology and Environmental Science Dr. Zach Musselman was selected as the recipient of the 2026 Mentzer Award for Inspirational Teaching (MAIT).  All Shepherd students are invited to nominate a professor for this award and briefly describe how this professor has made a difference in their life or the life of a classmate.

Student Nominations:

“I would recommend any of his classes to any other student attending Shepherd. You are guaranteed to learn the material all while actually enjoying a college-level course,” explained one nomination. “That’s truly what makes him deserving of this award. Tons of teachers can present their material to a class, but not every teacher is beloved, and can make learning the material fun. Musselman can, and he did, and I strive to teach in the same way that he does when I have my own classroom one day.”

Previous Winners