Coastal Carolina’s Paul Feirstein Named Sun Belt Faculty Member of the Year
10/8/2026 12:12:00 PM | General
The award recognizes a faculty member whose commitment to teaching, engaging and inspiring students extends beyond the classroom through their support of student-athletes and athletics.
Feirstein was selected through a vote by the conference's Faculty Athletics Representatives, Student-Athlete Academic Directors and members of the Sun Belt Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Each of the conference's 14 institutions nominated a finalist for the 2025-26 academic year.
"Paul represents the impact a dedicated educator can have on the entire student-athlete experience," said Coastal Carolina Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and University Recreation Chance Miller. "He challenges our student-athletes in the classroom, invests in their futures and shows up to support them in competition. The relationships he has built across our programs reflect the care he brings to his work, and we are proud to see him recognized by the Sun Belt Conference."
Since joining Coastal Carolina in spring 2022, Feirstein has taught four different business courses and helped students connect classroom lessons with the challenges they will face in their careers. His teaching emphasizes accountability, clear communication and collaboration.
He also revived the Coastal Carolina Entrepreneurship Organization in fall 2024 and serves as a coach and mentor in the Wall Succeeds Program, providing career guidance and professional development support.
A former baseball student-athlete at the University of Pittsburgh, Feirstein brings an understanding of the demands of college athletics to his relationships with Chanticleer student-athletes. His support extends to practices, competitions and personal conversations before big games and after difficult losses.
"My commitment to them is personal, not programmatic," Feirstein said. "I have been welcomed into practices and team environments across multiple programs, showing up without an agenda other than to be present. I reach out before big competitions and after difficult losses — because those are the moments that matter most, and the moments when most people go quiet."
For Chanticleer men's soccer captain Noé Lipkow Santos, a native of Germany, that support helped create a sense of belonging while attending college thousands of miles from home.
After developing a connection with Feirstein in his management class, Santos invited him to a home match against then-No. 1 Marshall. Seeing his professor on the sideline provided a meaningful reminder that his support system extended beyond his teammates.
"On game day, seeing Paul standing on the sideline, waving at us as we warmed up, meant more than I can express," Santos said. "After we tied the top-ranked team in the country, I went over to thank him and give him a hug. His presence made me feel as though a family member was there supporting me."
Feirstein credits those relationships with shaping his own experience at Coastal Carolina.
"Every time a student-athlete stops me to say something I shared is still with them, or a coach tells me one of their players came back from our conversation with a different look in their eyes — those remind me that teaching is never a one-way exchange," Feirstein said. "It is a partnership, and I am the one who is grateful."
Feirstein and the other institutional finalists will be recognized at the Sun Belt Conference Honors Banquet on Oct. 13 in Atlanta, held in conjunction with the conference's Fall Meetings. The Sun Belt established the award in 2019.
