NAU–Yuma 2021 Teachers of the Year
NAU–Yuma 2021 Teachers of the Year
Full-Time Teacher of the Year – Boyce Randolf Martin, Senior Lecturer, Education Department
Randy Martin teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in teacher education at NAU–Yuma. He received his B.A. in Elementary Education from Ambassador College and M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from Northern Arizona University. His doctoral studies in Curriculum and Instruction were also done at NAU. He has over 20 years of teaching experience including 10 years teaching English at 4th Avenue School. In Yuma Elementary District One, he was Assistant Principal at Gila Vista Junior High and Principal of James B. Rolle Elementary School. He also served as Director of Curriculum and Instruction and Director of Alternative Schools. He retired from Yuma One in 2003 and began teaching at NAU Yuma in 2005. Among the courses he has taught are Math and Social Studies instructional methods, Technology in the Classroom, Evaluation of Learning, and School and Society. His students consistently give him high ratings for his teaching and for his strong support of student success. For many years, Mr. Martin served as a certified trainer for the Northwest Evaluation Association, working with school districts across the country adopting and implementing NWEA’s student assessment programs. He oversaw implementation of NWEA’s first higher education contract allowing NAU–Yuma to offer the Measures of Academic Progress student assessment services. He has been the faculty advisor for the NAU–Yuma Assessment Center since its inception. He was a member of the Higher Learning Commission Assessment Academy team. He played a significant role in the implementation of the AVID for Higher Education Teacher Preparation Initiative for which NAU–Yuma was recognized as a national model for improving academic opportunities for Latino students in higher education. He currently chairs the NAU–Yuma Curriculum Committee and serves on the Assessment and Elementary Education Committees. Mr. Martin is an avid sailor and talented furniture maker. In addition, he received an award for his metal sculptures at one of the Southwestern Invitationals hosted by the Yuma Art Center.
Part-Time Teacher of the Year: Ted Ceasar, Adjunct Professor, Arts & Sciences Department
Ted Ceasar has worked as an adjunct professor with Northern Arizona University since 2019. After receiving his B.A. degree in psychology from the University of Michigan, he obtained his Master of Social Work degree at San Diego State University. In 1979, he started working as a Social Work Counselor at San Diego Regional Center for the Developmentally Disabled. At the same institution, he worked as a Program Manager at the Imperial County Branch Office from 1982 to 2000. He then worked as Associate Dean of Disabled Student Programs and Services at Imperial Valley College through 2010. In 2010, he became the Dean of Counseling at Imperial Valley College. During his tenure at Imperial Valley College, he served as a Social Work Field Instructor for several NAU–Yuma social work students. Currently he develops and monitors field placements for internships in agencies in Imperial County. Mr. Ceasar oversees classes, meetings, and field placements in NAU–Yuma’s California sector, the location of half of the students in the NAU–Yuma Social Work program. Mr. Ceasar has been a member of the NAU Social Work Advisory Board since its inception. He has served as the Chair of the Imperial County Social Services Advisory Council. Mr. Ceasar has been a member of the National Association of Social Work and the California Association of Post-secondary Education and Disability.