Rachael Record receives the 2024-2025 Senate Excellence in Teaching Award

Rachael Record, professor in the San Diego State University School of Communication has been awarded the 2024-2025 Senate Excellence in Teaching Award, a prestigious achievement given to one professor every academic year.

The award recognizes an SDSU faculty member for contributions made to students, respective academic disciplines, and campus communities. The primary criterion is teaching excellence, and the awardee receives the title of “Senate Distinguished Professor” and an honorarium.

Record’s award ceremony will be held on Apr. 17 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in Love Library 430/431.

“Dr. Record is just a down-to-earth, humble person whose brilliance comes through in all that she does, but she is never one to shine the light on herself about her brilliance,” said Dr. Heather Canary, director of the School of Communication. “It’s my joy as her director, her colleague, and her friend to shine the light on her brilliance so others can see it too.”

Canary first met Record in 2017 and during her time at SDSU, she has watched Record blossom as a scholar and a teacher.

“Dr. Record has a really unique blend of being extremely insightful and rigorous in her scholarly work, as well as very approachable and open in her teaching and her mentoring of students,” said Canary. “She has a way of guiding her students into becoming rigorous scholars, practitioners, and lifelong learners.”

Canary has worked with Record to develop ideas for communication classes and new initiatives within the school to support and guide communication students.

Record mentors undergraduate and graduate students on their theses, comprehensive exams, and papers, and runs an apprenticeship program in the School of Communication designed to train undergraduate students on the team research enterprise.

“SDSU instructors are fortunate to be in a place where we get to teach such driven and passionate students,” Record said. “This is a campus full of dedicated, caring, and effective instructors. I am honored to be recognized by our students and among such an incredible pool of colleagues.”

Toby Sandoz, a master’s student in communication at SDSU, was previously an undergraduate student in one of Record’s classes.

Record later mentored Sandoz through the School of Communication’s Research Apprentice Program (RAP) and served as his temporary faculty advisor in the graduate program. Under her guidance, Sandoz has worked as a research assistant at the SDSU Research Foundation.

Sandoz mentioned how in Record’s quantitative methods in communication course, she guided and supported him as he wrote a competitive class research paper. After Sandoz and his co-authors expressed interest in submitting their manuscript to the SDSU Student Symposium, Record offered her expertise to help them with their presentation. 

“Dr. Record’s encouragement in the classroom and support in my academic pursuits has been

invaluable in both my undergraduate studies, as well as my transition into graduate school,” Sandoz said. 

“Dr. Record creates spaces for students to achieve academic excellence, going above and beyond to motivate and inspire everyone she works with,” Sandoz continued. “...I am confident that she will continue to inspire and positively impact the lives of myself, my peers, and her many students in the future.”

School of Communication Professor Matthew Savage said Record’s commitment to educational excellence, mentorship, and inclusivity “have made her a transformative force in the lives of countless students.”

“Dr. Record’s teaching effectiveness is evident in her dynamic, student-centered approach,” said Savage. “She continually creates learning experiences that are both intellectually rigorous and relevant to real-world applications.”

In his letter of support for Record’s nomination, Savage highlighted how Record’s teaching often gives back to marginalized communities, such as when she led her COMM 421 students in organizing the Run for Dignity 5K for Fulfilling Destiny, a nonprofit supporting women experiencing homelessness. 

Savage commended Record’s genuine dedication to helping students excel in their professional development and praised her commitment to inclusivity in her work, such as in her co-authored textbook, “Health Communication: Research and Practice for a Diverse and Changing World,” which he said showcases her dedication to addressing health disparities in communication and encouraging students to advocate for justice and equality.

“Where Dr. Record sees a need, she finds a solution,” Savage said.

Isabel Villegas-Glang, a master’s student in communication at SDSU, first met Record through the School of Communication Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP). Villegas-Glang was on the fence about continuing her education to obtain a graduate degree but said Record encouraged the students in the program to apply and was confident in their skills and abilities.

“Because of her, I applied to a program I had no confidence in being accepted into, yet

I still was,” Villegas-Glang said. “Dr. Record showed me that despite what I may think of myself and my abilities, I am much brighter, more capable, and more determined than I think I am.”

Villegas-Glang said Record guided her through the process of submitting her first research paper at the Western States Communication Association Conference.

“Through her high expectations and dedicated leadership, I learned how capable I am at accomplishing tasks I put my mind to,” Villegas-Glang said. “This was one of the first stepping stones in my academic career that would not have been possible without her.”

“Learning from Dr. Record has not only impacted my education and gotten me to where I am today, but it has also influenced my personal life,” Villegas-Glang continued. “She enlightened me to realize how much I can accomplish. She helped me become more confident in myself, both in the academic sphere and in my personal life.”

Villegas-Glang shared how much encouragement she has felt from Record during her time as a student, emphasizing that Record genuinely cares about her students and their success—something her students clearly recognize and appreciate.

“Her dedication and support changed my life,” Villegas-Gland said. “It is so evident that she deserves such highly praised recognition for the work she does for her students, the School of Communication, and the San Diego community.”

For more information on the Senate Excellence in Teaching Award, click the link.