For his leadership in foreign language education throughout North Carolina and nationally, UNC Charlotte’s Bobby Hobgood has received a “lifetime achievement award” as the recipient of a Foreign Language Association of North Carolina Honorary Life Member Award.
Hobgood, director of The Language Resource Center, received the award in late 2016 at the association’s 50th Annual Conference, held in Research Park. The Language Resource Center is a technology-enhanced facility that supports foreign language and ESL learning and teaching, working with students and faculty in the Department of Languages and Culture Studies and the English Language Training Institute.
With the award, Hobgood was described as a consummate language educator who is dedicated to learners of all ages and who has served as a valuable asset to the association. He also was also honored for having one of the Top 10 Presentations and previously was named the top presenter for FLANC at the Southern Conference on Language Teaching.
Colleagues described Hogbood as a strong supporter of professional development for foreign language teachers and as someone who stays ahead of the curve with technology trends. Associates said he is always willing to share expertise with others for the ultimate goal of engaging, meaningful experiences for students.
“If this person were an app, it would be about how to love and nourish your own spirit while bringing together the power of friends, family, and the love of languages,” one person said.
He is noted for making highly effective courses even better. Hobgood’s “combination of language skills, technology expertise, teaching experience, doctoral degree, and professional disposition is so rare,” one colleague said.
Hobgood joined The Language Resource Center in late 2014, from the Center for Faculty Excellence at UNC-Chapel Hill. He provides leadership in technology integration and curriculum design for the Department of Languages and Culture Studies and has been responsible for transforming the Language Resource Center into a hub for technology integration and global culture. He is also an adjunct professor in the College of Education.
