ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Winthrop University will recognize three outstanding and dedicated faculty members during its May Commencement ceremonies at the Winthrop Coliseum.
During the 10 a.m. May 10 Undergraduate Commencement ceremony, President Edward Serna ’02 will honor two College of Arts and Sciences’ faculty members. English Professor Matthew Fike will be presented with the Distinguished Professor Award and Assistant Professor of Human Nutrition Jessie Hoffman will receive the Outstanding Junior Professor Award.
A third faculty award – the Jane LaRoche Graduate Faculty Award – will be given to Sherry Hoyle, an associate professor in the Richard W. Riley College of Education, Sport and Human Sciences, at the Graduate Commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. on May 8.
Read more about the honorees:
Matthew Fike - Distinguished Professor
Fike, an English professor, was selected as the Distinguished Professor, which is the highest honor given to Winthrop faculty members. It is awarded to educators who demonstrate exceptional teaching skills, undergo significant research or creative efforts, hold a high standing among professional colleagues and provide general service to the university.
He joined the Winthrop faculty in 2000 as an assistant professor of English. He was promoted to associate professor in 2005 and to professor in 2011.
Over his 43-year career in higher education which concludes this semester with his retirement, Fike has demonstrated a quiet brilliance, coupled with his dedication to nurturing a creative and thoughtful academic environment.
He is regarded as a leading expert in his area of study, the application of Jungian critical approaches to literary works.
His innovative scholarship has broadened the scope of intellectual inquiry in his discipline through its groundbreaking application of Jungian concepts and critical approaches to literary texts as diverse as Shakespeare’s plays; Spenser’s “The Faerie Queene;” Milton’s “Paradise Lost;” and contemporary British, African, and American novels and short fiction. In addition, he has published 47 peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles (an average of 1.5 articles per year, in addition to multiple conference presentations per year).
He has guided countless students to create original, insightful and deeply critical research on early modern literature, a testament to his ability to inspire and empower the next generation of scholars. Fike has provided an unsurpassed commitment to the general education core, helped mentor new professors and supported his department with the preparation of crucial documents.
He was the recipient of the College of Arts and Sciences Scholarship Excellence Award in 2017, Department of English Outstanding Scholarship Awards in 2016, 2018 and 2023, and the College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentorship Award in 2014.
Fike holds a B.A. in English from Hope College. He earned an M.A. in English with an emphasis in British literature and a Ph.D. in English with a major emphasis in Renaissance literature and a minor emphasis in British Romantic poetry. Both degrees were from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Jessie Hoffman - Outstanding Junior Professor
Hoffman is the university’s 2025 Outstanding Junior Professor recipient, which recognizes excellence among assistant professors for inspired teaching, research or creative excellence, and for dedication to the welfare of students.
An assistant professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, she joined the Winthrop faculty in 2020.
Hoffman has earned a well-deserved reputation for her inspired teaching, research excellence and unwavering dedication to student welfare. She has employed a flipped approach to teaching and played a pivotal role in the growth of Winthrop’s online master’s degree in science in human nutrition.
Her engagement in nutritional biochemistry is particularly notable, and she’s mentored several honors and master’s theses. Hoffman’s involvement in Winthrop’s outreach in human nutrition includes supporting the university’s STEM camp, serving on the College of Arts and Sciences Student Research Committee, working on community hunger projects and with the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience.
She is a passionate advocate for first-generation and underserved students and has consistently supported them inside and outside the classroom.
During her five years at Winthrop, Hoffman has supervised 66 students in various capacities and taught 11 core courses required in the undergraduate and graduate curriculum. Of these 11 courses, six of them were either completely designed by Hoffman or extensively revised to update the curriculum to be current and evidence based.
Many of the courses that Hoffman teaches are focused on metabolism, and she utilizes novel instructional practices, many of which were integrated based directly on student feedback given in course evaluations.
Hoffman also has established herself as a leader on the topic of gut health, evidenced by her consistent engagement in peer-reviewed published materials. She also has authored two textbooks, one of which was published as an open-access resource, with one more open-access textbook that is anticipated to be published soon.
Hoffman earned a B.S. in biology from Newberry College, a Master of Science in nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences at the University of Kentucky.
Sherry Hoyle - Jane LaRoche Graduate Faculty Award
Hoyle will receive the Jane LaRoche Graduate Faculty Award, which was established in 2008 by former Board of Trustees member Jane LaRoche ’69, ’70. It recognizes outstanding teaching at the graduate level and significant contributions to graduate education at Winthrop.
Hoyle is the M.Ed. and Ed.S. educational leadership program director and is an associate professor in educational leadership within the Richard W. Riley College of Education, Sport and Human Sciences. She has more than 33 years of educational experience, which include working as a classroom teacher and administrator at multiple levels in a district setting.
She joined the Winthrop faculty in 2017 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor and granted tenure in 2022. As the M.Ed. program director, she is responsible for developing curriculum, scheduling and ensuring that accreditation standards are met and assessed. Her expertise and community connections in the Carolinas are vital to the educational leadership program and help bridge the gap between North and South Carolina’s licensure requirements.
Colleagues say Hoyle is an unassuming yet generous leader who has assumed a role far beyond what was originally advertised when she arrived, and she has embraced every challenge with excellence.
Since joining Winthrop, Hoyle has led the redesign of the Ed.S. program in educational leadership. She has collaborated closely with Clemson University to ensure seamless transitions for students pursuing an Ed.D., a critical contribution to the development of Winthrop’s first doctoral program. Additionally, she spearheaded the transition of both the M.Ed. and Ed.S. programs from face-to-face to online formats while preserving the valuable cohort experience that students find essential.
Hoyle has been instrumental in the development of the new doctoral program in leadership and innovation. She, along with faculty member Lisa Harris, spearheaded the Ed.D. program development, wrote the curriculum and made significant contributions to develop policies and procedures for Winthrop’s first doctorate which starts in the fall.
While hired as a graduate-level faculty member, Hoyle’s leadership and experience significantly impacts undergraduate students as well. She has provided internship supervision for multiple teacher education candidates and taught courses in the educational core.
Hoyle received an B.A. in elementary education at Sacred Hearts College, an M.Ed. from Lenoir-Rhyne University and an Ed.D. from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at longshawj@winthrop.edu.
