Teaching Innovators: Misty Soles

Misty Soles is a senior lecturer in the Department of Educational and Organizational Leadership Development, and she exclusively teaches courses in the athletic leadership master’s degree and minor. Soles has been a faculty member in the College since Fall 2016 and holds three graduate degrees from Clemson University. She earned a Ph.D. in educational leadership from the department in which she now serves, and she also earned master’s degrees in English and history from the University.

However, Soles’ studies at Clemson marked a return to graduate school, as she had already graduated with a law degree from the University of Georgia in 2001. We caught up with Soles to learn how all of her varied teaching and work experiences benefit her students, and why she feels teaching is ultimately the most rewarding thing she has done in a widely varied career.

What is your teaching philosophy?

The most important foundational principles for online teaching are communication and organization. Additionally, because many of my students are either current student athletes or professionals working in athletics, I find it drastically increases the likelihood of student success if I am cognizant of and responsive to their in-season schedules.

Why do you love teaching?

Teaching allows you to help students evolve into the adults and professionals that they will become. I have also been lucky to have classes with subject matter that I truly enjoy.

When did you know that the field of education was for you?

2008 was my first year of face-to-face teaching, and I loved the subject matter – history – and interacting with students. History was my first love in academia. I taught history for 13 years, and I include history in every athletic leadership course that I teach.

History is also so interesting! History is important to give context to current issues, and it helps students understand what worked in the past, what didn’t and why. For example, in my facilities course, we spend a good bit of time on the history of stadiums and other athletic venues. Students are always surprised to learn that the grandfather of all stadiums isn’t the Rose Bowl – it is the Roman Coliseum, built by the Emperor Vespasian in 80 A.D. as a gift to the people of Rome.

My dissertation primarily focused on the history of Sanford Stadium at the University of Georgia. I received both my B.A. and M.A. in history from Clemson, where I was inspired by Dr. Steve Marks. Dr. Marks was a Russian history professor here at Clemson; I do my best to emulate him when I teach face-to-face classes. He inspired my love of Russian history and the Cold War, both of which I enjoyed teaching very much. In the future, I hope to add a historical course to our undergraduate minor offerings.

Is than an educator earlier in your life who inspired you to teach?

My 8^th grade history teacher, Ms. Edwards. She was very passionate about American history, and she helped me love history as well.

You hold a law degree in addition to your degrees English, history and educational leadership. How does that contribute to your teaching?

In the legal field, I worked primarily in construction and insurance law. While I value my time in the legal field for the experiences I had and people I met, at the end of the day, it never felt like it suited me. It never felt like I was making any kind of contribution to anything positive. As a result, I returned to grad school.

While I was working on my doctorate, the graduate program in athletic leadership was just getting started. I taught the legal issues course the first time that it was offered as an adjunct, and I really enjoyed it. The course is extremely important for both future coaches and administrators, as we cover things like contracts, torts such as hazing and wrongful death and legal issues related to equity. Dr. Godfrey and I had an immediate connection, and we had total opposite interests in terms of what classes we wanted to teach, so it worked out perfectly! For the first few years of the program, it was just the two of us teaching all the courses. The program grew pretty rapidly, however, and several other faculty members were added.

Describe an effective approach you use in the classroom.

Because I teach online, facilitating communication among students is important and enhances their experiences. I often include partner or group projects in my courses so that students can have more meaningful contact and connections.

Another approach that I have found to be valuable is self-immersion in the topics I teach. For example, one of my most popular courses is AL 8510, Intercollegiate Athletics Facilities Planning and Management. In order to provide the students with the most relevant, current and interesting information possible, I visit many new venues and events each year to gather information on trends in facilities and event management. In the past two years, I have visited varied venues and events, including the Monaco Grand Prix, the Italian Grand Prix, Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, the JMA Wireless Dome and Milan Puskar Stadium, as well as numerous regular season and post season events at Clemson.

What is the most rewarding and most challenging aspect of teaching for you?

The most rewarding aspect of teaching for me is when students submit assignments and tell me that they both enjoyed them and found them useful.

What tips do you have for students in the College of Education preparing to work in athletics?

For students who want to go into fields related to athletic leadership, I would advise them to get as many experiences as possible, including volunteering and attending events.

What do you like about the College of Education and/or Clemson University?

I appreciate that the College of Education and my department are very flexible in terms of possible course topics.