 The Manchester Craftsmen's Guild played a formative role for Bey throughout his teens, giving him a foundation of skills, extensive ceramics-world connections, and exposure to a who’s who of visiting masters – the likes of Ron Nagle, Jun Kaneko, Karen Karnes, Norm Schulman, David Shaner, Judy Moonelis, and Paul Soldner.Later, he earned his BFA in ceramics from Slippery Rock University, his MFA in studio art from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and PhD in art education from Pennsylvania State University.Sharif has taught at numerous universities including Winston Salem State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Syracuse University.