Dr. Aart Holtslag Selected for 2025 Mentzer Award for Inspirational Teaching

Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Aart Holtslag was selected as the recipient of the 2025 Mentzer Award for Inspirational Teaching (MAIT). The award was presented at a reception and awards ceremony for outstanding faculty held on May 5.

Each spring, all Shepherd students are invited to nominate a professor for this award who made a difference in their life or the life of a classmate. Dr. Holtslag received three student nominations.

“I was fortunate enough to have Dr. Holtslag my first semester at Shepherd, which I did not know would shape the trajectory of my academic career for the better,” explained one nomination. “I was immediately gripped by Dr. Holtslag’s ability to engage with student questions in a civil and thoughtful manner, and his eagerness to push students to think critically.”

“You cannot choose a better candidate than Dr. Holtslag for this award,” stated another nomination. “He cares for his students and pushes them to see in themselves the potential he sees in them.”

The MAIT was created by Shepherd alumna Susan Mentzer-Blair ’72 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 their students. Sue’s brother, Dr. John Thomas “Tom” Mentzer, served as inspiration for the award. Tom 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. The MAIT honors Sue’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 unique recognition.

Sue Mentzer-Blair is a retired school counselor with Frederick County Public Schools in Maryland, and also serves as a director emerita on the Foundation’s board of directors and as a member of the Shepherd University Board of Governors. Bill Blair is also a retired educator, having taught history and worked as a school counselor with Jefferson County Public Schools in West Virginia.

This year’s presentation marks the ninth award of the MAIT. Previous recipients include Dr. Timothy Nixon, associate professor of English (2017); Dr. Stephanie Slocum-Schaffer, associate professor of political science (2018); Dr. Geraldine Crawley-Woods, professor of social work (2019); Dr. Benjamin Bankhurst, assistant professor of history (2020); Dr. Samuel Greene, assistant professor of political science and global studies (2021); Dr. Chiquita Howard Bostic, associate professor of sociology (2022); Dr. Matthew Kushin, professor of communication (2023); and Dr. Sylvia Bailey Shurbutt, professor of English (2024).