Dr. Joel Helmer receives Outstanding Teaching Award 

Dr. Joel Helmer, Concordia University, Nebraska professor of geography and chair of the university’s Department of History, Geography, Intercultural Studies and Modern Languages, received the 2024 Outstanding Teaching Award May 3 during the university’s commencement honors dinner.  

This honor is given to a full-time faculty member who has been nominated by students. A committee of students and faculty members who have previously received the award select the recipient.  

“I greatly enjoy learning and teaching about our world. I learn something new every day and enjoy sharing my knowledge and travel experiences with my students. God created an amazing world for us to live in, explore and learn about. My hope for my students is that they develop an inquisitive fascination with our world that continues throughout their lives,” said Helmer. “It is an honor to receive this award. I do put a lot of thought, time and effort into my teaching, so it is satisfying that students appreciate and recognize that.” 

Helmer is a Concordia Nebraska alumnus. He has a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and social science and a Lutheran Teacher Diploma from the university. He has a master’s degree in geography from The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio and a doctorate in environmental science from Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma. 

He began his career at Concordia in 2007 as an associate professor of geography and advanced in rank to full professor in 2012. Prior to coming to the university, he served as a visiting assistant professor of geography at Oklahoma State University and was the Project Coordinator for the Rural Alliance for Improving Science Education (RAISE). Helmer is a member of the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE), Gamma Theta Upsilon and the National Geographic Society. 

Over the past year, Helmer has co-led two international study tours for the university: Peru in May 2023 and New Zealand, December 2023-January 2024. He will lead two more this coming year: one to Vietnam in May 2025 and he will assist Dr. Dan Thurber with a trip to Europe in December 2024. 

In October 2023, Helmer presented at the National Council for Geographic Education conference with former student Brynna Bruxellas, who is now studying at the University of North Carolina. Their presentation was titled “The Power of Drones: In the Classroom and Beyond.” Helmer published a book in 2020 titled “Nebraska's Bucks & Bulls: The Greatest Stories of Hunting Whitetail, Mule Deer, and Elk in the Cornhusker State.” 

Students nominating Helmer remarked that he shares the love of Christ freely in the classroom and that he cares deeply about his students and making meaningful connections with them.  

"This professor emphasized turning back to the Word of God even in a class like Environmental Science. He is a great teacher of the field of geography as a whole from a Christian worldview. He puts everything in a Christian perspective," the nomination states. 

Others student comments focused on Helmer’s positive energy and engaging personality. 

“This professor has a passion for teaching, is super fun, yet tough and fair, and shows compassion and care for students. His face lights up when he’s engaging with students before and during class,” the nomination said. “This professor is clearly very knowledgeable about the classes he teaches, but he knows how to explain it at my level and keep me hooked. He connects our background knowledge and interests to class content, sharing real experiences to back up information gathered from other resources.” 

Helmer said he simply loves his work at the university and enjoys investing in the lives of students.

“It’s wonderful to work amongst other Christians who combine teaching and learning with ministry. It is such a blessing that I can pray with my students and discuss our faith openly and freely in class. It is also comforting to know that I work with people and teach students who are Christ followers. I greatly enjoy getting to know my students, especially those who I advise or have in multiple courses. I keep in touch with many of them and it is a joy to see where they go in life and in their careers. I consider them my friends,” said Helmer. “Teaching is challenging, and we all need God’s grace. The college years are a challenging time for our students, so I’m constantly reminded and comforted in the assurance we all have in Christ Jesus.” 

Helmer and his wife Holly have three children and reside in Seward. Holly is the catalog librarian in the university’s Link Library and also serves as an adjunct professor in the education department. 

Concordia’s geography program allows students to explore God’s creation with a combination of classroom-based and hands-on approaches. Learn more about how you can fulfill your calling in geography by exploring the program’s many course options here.