Dr. Philip Rhoades, a professor of criminal justice at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, has received the “Educator of the Year” award from the Texas Recreation and Parks Society (TRAPS).

Rhoades was honored by TRAPS during its annual convention at the Corpus Christi Omni Bayfront hotel on Friday, March 11. TRAPS is a non-profit professional and educational organization founded more than 65 years ago to advance the profession of parks, recreation, and leisure services in Texas. He was nominated by Mariah Boone, superintendent of the City of Corpus Christi’s Juvenile Assessment Center.

After earning his bachelor’s in political science from the University of Texas-El Paso in 1970, Rhoades spent six years in the military and as a law enforcement officer. While working on his postgraduate degrees, he spent seven years as a teaching assistant and assistant professor at universities in New York, Oregon and Texas. In 1982 he received his Ph.D from the State University of New York and joined the faculty of Corpus Christi State University, now Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. In 2002, he established the University’s Social Science Research Center, which collects and disseminates data on the youth of the Coastal Bend area.

“Dr. Rhoades had done a great deal to help our city,” said Boone. “Having the data compiled by the Social Science Research Center at our finger tips has allowed our department to be phenomenally more competitive in applying for, obtaining and monitoring grants. Thanks to that data, the youth agencies in the city have been able to bring millions of dollars in grants into the community.”

Rhoades is a member of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the American Society of Criminology, the Southwestern Association of Criminal Justice, the Texas Association of Criminal Justice Educators, the Texas Conference of College and University Criminal Justice Educators, and the Texas Association of College Teachers.

Previous awards garnered by Rhoades include the Child Abuse Prevention Council of South Texas’ Community Service and the Professional Service awards, the Texas A&M University System’s Community Collaboration Award and the Educator Award from the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Center of South Texas.