Dr. Shirley Farrell, Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Gifted Education program in the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, has been awarded Troy University’s Wallace D. Malone, Jr. Distinguished Faculty Award.

The award, which acknowledges exceptional faculty members who through teaching, meritorious and selfless service and research transform vision into reality, was presented by Dr. Kerry Palmer, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., Chancellor, during the University’s annual Chancellor’s Faculty/Staff Convocation on Thursday in the Claudia Crosby Theater on the Troy Campus.

The award consists of a $1,500 cash prize, a medallion to be worn with academic regalia and a specially designed commemorative award. The award is made possible through a $100,000 endowment by the SouthTrust Corporation. Wallace Malone, former chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of SouthTrust, served as a TROY Trustee from 1975 to 1995.

“Receiving the Wallace D. Malone, Jr. Distinguished Faculty Award is a profound honor,” Farrell said. “To be recognized for doing what I love — teaching, mentoring, and contributing to scholarship — is both humbling and inspiring. This award reflects not just personal dedication, but the shared pursuit of excellence that defines Troy University.”

Farrell, who joined the TROY faculty in 2017, earned a bachelor’s degree in horticulture and a master’s degree in elementary education with Gifted Certification before earning her Ph.D. in Instructional Technology/Instructional Leadership from the University of Alabama.

In addition to her work with the Gifted Education program, she also serves as co-coordinator of assessment in TROY’s Department of Teacher Education.

Farrell has more than 30 years of experience in gifted education. She began her teaching career in the Jefferson County School System where she developed one of the state’s first outdoor classrooms. That project expanded to include a butterfly garden, a pond filled with native plants and fish and interdisciplinary lessons that brought science and art togethering in meaningful, hands-on ways. She later served as the school system’s gifted education coordinator, supporting more than 45 teachers and helping hire and train new specialists.

From the classroom, Farrell moved on to the state level where she worked with the Alabama State Department of Education, providing technical assistance, professional development and monitoring support to gifted programs statewide.

Farrell is a past president and longtime member of the Executive Council of the Alabama Association for Gifted Children and has served on the Board of Directors for the Environmental Education Association of Alabama (EEAA). In 2022, the EEAA awarded her the Soaring High Award in recognition of service to the organization that has gone above and beyond what is required.

Farrell is known for her passion for integrating technology into education and has presented nationally and internationally on the topic.