Winner of the University of Tennessee Philosophy Department's Excellence in Teaching Award for graduate teaching associates for 2008-2009, Matt has consistently received favorable student evaluations. From a recent unsolicited email from a nontraditional adult student: "You have a talent that few instructors have or ever aspire to achieve. And that is you talk TO the students and not AT the students. I also knew that you were sincerely interested in my learning... another trait of the minority.”