Privett wins S.C. Science Council’s top award
Dr. James (Jim) E. Privett, professor of chemistry and physics at USC Sumter, was recently honored by the South Carolina Science Council (SCSC), which presented him with the organization’s highest honor, the Dori Helms Award.
The Helms Award goes to a post-secondary instructor who, in the opinion of the SCSC Board of Directors, has made significant and lasting contributions to the education of Science Teachers in the State of South Carolina.
A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, Privett earned his MS degree and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Purdue University. He taught at the University of South Carolina Sumter part time while employed by Sumter School District 2 before joining USC Sumter’s full-time faculty in 1990.
Prior to coming to USC Sumter, Dr. Privett taught at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana; Franklin College, Franklin, Indiana; Defiance College, Defiance, Ohio; Briar Cliff College, Sioux City, Iowa and Riyadh University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Privett has won USC Sumter’s Student Government Association (SGA) Teacher of the Year award seven times, the most recent being for the 2003-2004 academic year. He was the first professor ever to win both the USC Sumter SGA Award and the Outstanding Teaching Award competition within USC’s five regional campuses for two consecutive years.
Privett currently serves as president of the S.C. Academy of Science. Last year, in his capacity as the Academy’s president-elect, he was responsible for planning the Spring 2005 Annual Meeting and assisting the president in carrying out his official duties. Privett has served on the Academy’s Board of Directors for 12 years, and served as judging coordinator for the S.C. Junior Academy of Science for equally as long.
In 1998, he was the recipient of the Michener Service Award for outstanding service to the S.C. Academy of Science, and in 2002 he received another special award for outstanding service to the Academy.
Return to USC Sumter Home Page
