2025 Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award recipient Dr. Tarren Smarr is always learning – whether that is at the university level, or from the students in her own classroom.
An employee at Laurel Ridge for about nine years, Professor Smarr has taught a wide variety of classes, including U.S. History I, Introduction to Sociology, Criminal Justice courses and Ethics.
“It depends on what the dean needs in any given semester,” she explained. “Whatever the college needs that I can teach, I will do it.”
Dr. Smarr is able to teach so many courses because of her substantial collection of academic credentials. Not only does she have a bachelor’s degree (Administration of Justice from George Mason University) and a doctorate (Criminal Justice/Safety Studies from Capella University), she also has FIVE master’s degrees: Sociology from New Mexico State University; Justice Law and Crime Policy from GMU; History from Fort Hays State University; Politics from Newcastle University in England; and International Law and Legal Studies, also from Newcastle. And, she is currently finishing up a master’s degree in National Security Studies from American Military University.
Before becoming a professor, Dr. Smarr was a compliance officer in the Virginia State Police Sex Offender Investigation Unit. She was also working as an adjunct professor at Northern Virginia Community College and Strayer University. One day when she walked into the police barracks next to the Fauquier Campus, a trooper mentioned the agency’s good partnership with Laurel Ridge. Professor Smarr printed off her resume and left it on the desk of Dr. Caroline Wood, associate vice president of student services and academic support. Dr. Wood called her a few days later.
When she was younger, Dr. Smarr, who is the head cheerleading coach at Shenandoah University, dreamed of being a federal law enforcement agent.
“I grew up wanting to be the real-life Clarice Starling,” Professor Smar said of the FBI-agent-in-training in “Silence of the Lambs,” which she admits she watched “way too young.”
She did have the opportunity to complete an internship at the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, better known as NCIS. Professor Smarr’s interest in the world of academia was piqued when she learned some of her high school teachers were also adjunct professors. And, while she was at Newcastle University, she started doing some assistant teaching, which she realized she really enjoyed.
“I love the interaction with our students,” said Dr. Smarr, saying she employs the Socratic method of teaching. “Instead of my talking, we have class discussions.”
She said each class is different because of the variety of students in each and what they contribute to the discussions.
“Even though I’m teaching them, they also teach me things,” said Professor Smarr. “We’re all learning from each other. Learning from them makes me a better professor.
“I love Laurel Ridge. The faculty and the staff are so friendly, and the students are amazing. It doesn’t matter what campus I go to – it feels like I’m home.”
Several glowing nomination letters were written in recommendation of Professor Smarr being named the Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award recipient.
“When I started at Laurel Ridge last year, I kept hearing about this absolutely amazing Sociology professor from my Composition students,” one nomination states. “They told me about innovative and engaging classes taught by a faculty member that they truly admired and respected. Professor Smarr’s escape room activities, classroom debates, and real-world stories helped bring Sociology and Ethics alive in a way I rarely see in my students.
“I found her to be every bit as engaging as my students promised. From her use of “escape rooms” to make philosophical concepts more approachable, to her deep subject-area knowledge about her topics, Tarren’s pedagogy is enviable. She’s also generous with it, offering to share what she has and talk about classroom strategies any time. She has that rare talent for being both highly approachable and personable while holding students to rigorous standards that they appreciate.”
Another nomination noted Dr. Smarr’s contributions to the Phi Theta Kappa chapter on the Fauquier Campus.
“Tarren’s passion for teaching and learning is infectious,” it states. “She distinguishes herself as an extraordinary adjunct instructor.”
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.