Zachary Long, associate professor in UNCW’s Department of Biology and Marine Biology, is a recipient of the 2025 UNC Board of Governors Teaching Excellence Award.
The award winners represent all 16 of North Carolina’s public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. Recipients were nominated by special committees at each institution and selected by the Board of Governors Committee on Educational Planning, Policies and Programs.
“The best instructors are engaging, empathetic and creative communicators that spark an internal desire to learn. Our changing world also requires great instructors to be adaptable and willing to embrace change to inspire another generation both on and off campus,” said Joseph A. Covi, associate professor of Integrative and Comparative Biology. “Long exemplifies these characteristics, as evidenced by his community efforts and consistently excellent teaching evaluations over fifteen years of service to UNCW students.”
Since joining UNCW in 2009, Long has demonstrated a commitment to his students and the university’s educational mission. His teaching methods are informed by an extensive research portfolio spanning regional and international settings, including macroalgal communities offshore of North Carolina and cacao agroforestry in Belize. Long’s research has been published in top-ranking journals, with eight peer-reviewed papers featuring student coauthors over the past seven years.
Long has been the UNCW Greenhouse faculty supervisor since 2009. He has overseen over 100 student research projects and internships, leveraging this unique ‘living classroom’ to support teaching, service learning and research across multiple programs. His efforts have also secured significant funding, including a $46,656 grant from the New Hanover County Endowment and $22,890 from the UNCW Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP).
“Receiving the UNC Board of Governors teaching award is a tremendous honor. It recognizes my dedication to educating, inspiring and empowering my students,” said Long. “This recognition motivates me to continue to work towards developing practices that impact students' academic careers and lives beyond college.”
In addition to his teaching and research, Long has collaborated with colleagues to develop curriculum-based learning gardens at DC Virgo Elementary School, providing elementary students with opportunities to learn about healthy living and engage in service-learning.
Long’s dedication to his students is reflected in his consistently high student evaluations, with many describing him as "engaging," "funny," "passionate” and "knowledgeable." His considerable efforts and success in teaching were previously recognized with the 2024 UNCW Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award.
