ACC Congratulates 2014 Teaching, Leadership Award Recipients

The college congratulates the recipients of the following annual awards recognizing excellence in teaching and leadership.

“ACC draws its success from its talented and dedicated faculty and staff,” says ACC President/CEO Dr. Richard Rhodes. “We celebrate these leaders for their work in the classroom and on campus.”

Recipients will be honored at the annual ACC awards dinner Thursday, April 3, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Austin. Visit the Faculty Development webpage for details about the dinner and to purchase tickets.

ACC Teaching Excellence Award

Dr. Laura Juárez de Ku works with the Biology Innovation Lab.

Dr. Laura Juárez de Ku, professor of biology, and Dr. Tiff Holland, adjunct professor of English, are recipients of ACC’s 2014 Teaching Excellence Award.

The Teaching Excellence Award honors one full-time and one adjunct faculty member who promote special learning opportunities, student interaction, and innovation. Recipients are nominated by faculty, staff, and students and are selected by an awards committee. They receive a $1,000 cash award.

Dr. Tiff Holland has taught at ACC since 2009.

Juárez de Ku has taught full-time at ACC since 2005. She teaches biology and anatomy courses, including those offered through the Biology Innovation Lab. She is a member and past president of the ACC chapter of TACHE (Texas Association for Chicanos in Higher Education).

Holland has taught at ACC since 2009. She is an award-winning author and poet whose works have appeared in numerous literary journals, e-zines, and anthologies.

ACC Leadership Awards

The following recipients of the ACC Leadership Award were selected for their strong leadership and their willingness to go above and beyond their job duties in serving the ACC community.

Classified Employee of the Year: George Griffith, grounds supervisor

Professional-Technical Employee of the Year: Laurie Clark, college operations manager

Administrator of the Year: Hazel Ward, dean of communications

Mike Midgley, Gale Spear, Hazel Ward, Dr. Richard Rhodes, Laura Juarez de Ku, Kathleen Christensen, and Tiff Holland

Roueche Excellence Awards

The John & Suanne Roueche Excellence Award celebrates outstanding contributions and leadership by community college faculty and staff. Recipients are from institutions participating in the League for Innovation in the Community College and are recognized at several activities and events.

Administrator of the Year: Hazel Ward, dean of communications

President’s Leadership Excellence Award: Michael Midgley, vice president of instruction

President’s Leadership Excellence Award: Kathleen Christensen, vice president of student services

Teaching Excellence: Laura Juárez de Ku, Professor of biology

Teaching Excellence: Tiff Holland, adjunct professor of English

Piper Professor Nominee: Gale Spear, professor of child care & development

NISOD Excellence Award

NISOD (National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development) emphasizes the importance of teaching and leadership excellence in institutions of higher education. NISOD’s 700-plus community college members include almost every large community college district in the United States and more than 200 small colleges worldwide. NISOD Excellence Award recipients were selected from the nominees for ACC teaching and leadership awards.

NISOD award recipients are selected from nominees for teaching and leadership awards.

Laurie Clark, Professional-Technical Employee of the Year

George Griffith, Classified Employee of the Year

Gerald Hauck, adjunct professor of history Â

Judith Scholl, adjunct professor of computer information systems

Paul Schliesing, adjunct professor of math

Susan Polk, adjunct professor of physical therapy assistant program

Luann Preston, professor of English

Gustavo Cepparo, professor of math

Fred Toler, professor of criminal justice

Andrew Saldana, professor of visual communication

Piper Professor Nominee

Gale Spear, professor of child care & development, is ACC’s nominee for the 2014 Piper Professor award for outstanding achievement by a college faculty member in Texas.

Gale Spear has taught at ACC since 1980.

Piper professor nominees are chosen for their effectiveness in dealing with students, as well as their activities and service outside the classroom.

Given by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation, the annual Piper Professor award is bestowed on only 10 professors statewide. Recipients of the Piper award, which includes a $5,000 honorarium, are named in the spring.

For more information about each of these awards and their criteria, visit ACC’s Awards & Recognition webpage.

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