Houston, Texas, Oct. 7, 2022 – HCU Alum Molly Nipper, EdD ‘22 is one of nine recipients of the 2022 Baptist Educators Serving Texans (B.E.S.T.) Award. The award celebrates Christian educators who are living out their faith daily among their students and the Texas Baptists institutions that taught them.
HCU President Robert Sloan will present the B.E.S.T. Award to Dr. Nipper on Oct. 11 at the Guild’s Fall Coffee. Award recipients also will be honored during the 2022 Texas Baptists Annual Meeting, on Nov. 13-15, 2022, in Waco, Texas.
The award process was coordinated by Cooperative Program Director Bruce McCoy and the Office of Cooperative Program Ministry. This annual award is presented to select Texas Baptists institution graduates who currently serve in faculty or administration roles in the Texas Public School System and are members of a church supportive of the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT). One graduate is selected from each institution.
“We are so pleased to announce these splendid educators as this year’s recipients of the B.E.S.T. Award. Each of these top-tier educators are representative of thousands of our graduates who serve as “salt and light” in the public schools across Texas,” McCoy said. “They are standard bearers for quality education and personal integrity. They represent Jesus for us daily in and through their diligent and vital work.”
Dr. Nipper, a STEM teacher at Spring Branch Independent School District’s Bendwood School, earned a Doctor of Education (EdD) in Executive Educational Leadership at Houston Christian University (HCU), formerly Houston Baptist University, in May 2022. Her students engage in rigorous, inquiry-based and project-based lessons designed to foster creativity, curiosity and exploration.
“As a recipient of this prestigious award, I want to thank all those who have supported me throughout my academic career which ultimately led to my Doctor of Education in Executive Educational Leadership degree,” said Dr. Nipper. “As a teacher and a leader, I choose to lead like Jesus, whose integrity, influence, and servant leadership make him the greatest teacher in the history of mankind. As a leader in education, I will serve and lead others to ensure positive change and success in education.”
A native of Cambodia, Dr. Nipper was the recipient of numerous awards/scholarships during her time at HCU, including “Overall Outstanding Graduate Student in Education;” the Wilhelmina C. Robertson Excellence in Science Teaching Award; the Sharon Elaine Saunders Endowed Scholarship; and The Guild Scholarship. She also was named “Campus Teacher of the Year 2015” at the Bendwood School.
It is estimated that graduates from Texas Baptists’ universities represent 6-8 percent of the over 357,000 public school educators in Texas. Texas Baptists celebrate these graduates, who share Christ daily in their classrooms and schools through the love and support they show to their students. For more information on the B.E.S.T. award, visit txb.org/best.
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About Houston Christian University
For more than 60 years, Houston Christian University has equipped students to lead, collaborate, and embody a deep sense of spiritual purpose. The University offers a wide range of majors, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs, as well as NCAA Division I athletics in the Southland Conference. Located in the heart of one of the nation’s largest metropolitan centers, HCU’s culture of excellence molds the next generation of educated disciples to be pillars in their communities, preparing them to think critically and biblically as they impact the world.