Buddy Howell is a cornerstone of the Virginia Tech School of Communication, greeting students with a triumphant “Howdy!” before every class and prompting a “Howdy!” in return from the class.  

“I try to be engaging and I try to practice what I preach by being a good communicator in class,” Howell said. “But I also have to let them know that I care about them as a human being and not just a human [who is] doing.”

Howell, advanced instructor in the School of Communication, recently received the award for Excellence in Teaching First-Year Seminars at an annual conference of the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. Held in Seattle, the conference acknowledges instructors who “inspire student learning, development, and success.”

The award is a testament to Howell's servitude as a teacher, as well as the social well-being he looks to bolster in each of his classrooms. For the First Semester Experience in Communication, Howell divides the students into small Hokie Undergraduate Groups (H.U.G.), and each group is spearheaded by a student leader. The system invites first-year students to discuss and open up with their fellow Hokies, lessening the anxiety of a large lecture hall. The groups discuss upcoming events on campus as well as necessary information that first-year students need to flourish. 

“I remember my freshman year of college, I would go to class, eat in the cafeteria, and go to the study hall,” Howell said. “That’s why I think it’s so beneficial for these students to hear about ways to get involved by their peers.”

When asked how he finds qualified H.U.G. leaders, the answer was simple: They recruit themselves. Many of them were inspired by their leader the previous year, and they look to pay it forward.  

“Being a H.U.G. leader was one of the best parts of Virginia Tech for me so far,” said Robert Bateman, a sophomore majoring in sports media and analytics. “Buddy does a fantastic job at making you feel like his equal, and he helps teach you how to be an effective leader and really take care of your fellow Hokies.”

Howell joined Virginia Tech in 2009 and took over duties for the First-Year Experiences course in 2015. However, he quickly noticed how cluttered and disorienting the class was for students.

“It was a lot of panels and large lectures at first, and that wasn’t really meeting the students’ needs,” he said. “They gave me a year to figure out the structure and shake up the experience.”

First-Year Experiences courses are foundational classes that are taught in every college and support the academic transition for students arriving at Virginia Tech. The courses are tailored to each department and reflect the strategic direction, mission, and culture of that unit. Each fall, more than 180 sections will support the academic transition of almost 8,000 students who arrive on campus.

Over time, the First Semester Experience in Communication blossomed into what it is today: an award-winning stepping stone that has propelled hundreds of students into a more comfortable environment on campus. 

During the pandemic, Howell received another award for teaching Introduction to Communication, a course that introduces underclassmen to rhetoric and persuasion. He said that when describing the respective classes, an emphasis has to be put first on well-being before material.

Outside of the classroom, Howell is a father to 19-year-old twins, Amelia and Jonathan. He also affirms how his faith and spirituality have guided him throughout his professional and personal life. The professor is also a huge Marvel Comics fanatic, which is something he won’t fail to mention on syllabus day.

The award is a time for reflection on his 15-year tenure in Blacksburg. Howell said he will probably never stop teaching unless they carry him out, boots first.

“There are so many people around the world that have to get up and go do a job they don’t like,” Howell said. “I get up and go do a job I absolutely love. I want to be interactive with people, I want to be teaching, and I don’t know if I could do anything else.”

So the next time a student walks into the First Semester Experience in Communication, they can know that his patented “Howdy!” comes from an unbridled passion for instructing.  

“Not only is Buddy great at helping you be better, but he also builds a dynamic with his leaders,” Bateman said. “By the end of the semester, we all feel like a big family.”  

Written by Jacob Sawyers, student media content assistant for the School of Communication

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