Heather Coffey '98 named Cone Early-Career Professor at UNCC

By Jennifer Strange, staff

August 20, 2018

Coffey was selected as the 2018 recipient of the Bonnie E. Cone Early-Career Professorship of Teaching at the University of North Carolina Charlotte.

As a ‘teacher of teachers,’ Heather Coffey ’98 strives to prepare her students to be civically engaged and informed citizens.

Joan Lorden, provost of UNCC (right) presenting the Cone Early-Career Professorship of Teaching to Heather Coffey '98.
The aspiring teachers she prepares as a faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte are often white, middle-class, monolingual females who will be working in urban schools, which are often highly segregated and located in impoverished neighborhoods where the majority of students are non-white and often speakers of languages other than English. Through her research and teaching, Coffey has made a name for herself as an effective instructor of future urban educators.

In recognition of her work, Coffey has been selected as the 2018 recipient of the Bonnie E. Cone Early-Career Professorship of Teaching at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. In addition to her role as an associate professor, Coffey leads the Cato College’s work on the Prospect for Success curriculum, coordinates the Charlotte Community Scholars summer research program and directs the newly re-established Teaching Fellows Program. Her research interests include utilizing service-learning to develop social justice and agency with K-12 learners, bridging the gap between educational theory and practice in teacher education, and supporting practicing teachers in school settings through professional development. 

A Teaching Fellow while at Elon, Coffey earned a master’s degree in education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a doctorate in education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

 During her award announcement, UNCC Provost Joan Lorden said, “Heather is a teacher of teachers and brings her passion for social justice to the classroom through service-learning and civic engagement courses. As her department chair attests, Heather’s teaching serves as a model for all others to follow. The numerical values on her course evaluations hover near or at a perfect 5.0. After taking Dr. Coffey’s Liberal Studies 2215 course, students report that they are changed individuals.”

A three-year appointment, the Bonnie Cone Early-Career Professorship for Teaching recognizes a recently tenured professor who embodies Cone’s tenacious commitment to providing undergraduate and graduate students with enriching, high-quality educational experiences.

Cone was a dedicated educator, motivator and community leader who played an instrumental role in the vision and history of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. 

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