Chattanooga State Community College Professor Dr. Eric Niemi has received the 2026 Jerry G. Gaff Award for General and Liberal Studies in the Emerging Campus Leader category, recognizing his contributions to general education curriculum reform, faculty development, and innovation. 

Presented by the Association for General and Liberal Studies (AGLS), the award honors faculty members who demonstrate campus-wide leadership and a record of achievement in general education studies.  

“Dr. Niemi is a true professional dedicated to improving the academic experience of students at Chattanooga State and across the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) System,” said ChattState President Dr. Rebecca Ashford. “His work in leading general education reform demonstrates why he is deserving of the AGLS Gaff Emerging Campus Leader Award.” 

The selection committee recognized Niemi for work that extends beyond his classroom and discipline to influence academic practices at both the institutional and statewide levels. 

Impacting Student Success at ChattState

At ChattState, Niemi led a comprehensive redesign of the College’s general education pathways, bringing together faculty from across disciplines to streamline course sequences, designate learning outcomes, and improve the transfer process.  

His commitment to student learning also includes undergraduate research. Niemi incorporates research into his own teaching and organizes ChattState’s annual Research Symposium, providing opportunities for community college students to participate in undergraduate research. 

Impacting Higher Education Across Tennessee

Beyond ChattState, Niemi has contributed to statewide efforts to strengthen general education. As a statewide project director for the National Endowment for the Humanities Project ‘Being Human,’ focusing on a Western Civilizations humanities pathway, he helped develop a 12-credit Cornerstone Humanities pathway for TBR colleges. 

Niemi also played a key role in developing the 2025 TBR General Education Core, a systemwide initiative involving more than 3,000 faculty members across 13 institutions. The work was recognized with the American Association of Colleges and Universities’ Game Changer Award for its innovative approach to general education. 

“Professor Niemi exemplifies the spirit of emerging leadership through his innovative contributions to general education, his collaborative approach to institutional improvement, and his unwavering commitment to student success,” said Dr. Robert M. Denn, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs for TBR. 

Niemi has served as a professor of English at ChattState since 2015. His award recognizes not only his work to improve general education but also his commitment to building collaborative approaches that help faculty strengthen the educational experience for students. 

The Jerry G. Gaff Awards honor Jerry G. Gaff, a longtime advocate for faculty leadership in general and liberal education. The Emerging Campus Leader category recognizes full-time instructional faculty who demonstrate significant campus-wide leadership in general education and liberal studies curriculum reform, implementation, assessment or administration.