Tarrant County College Chancellor’s Awards Honor Faculty and Staff

FORT WORTH, Texas (Aug. 24, 2012)

Five Tarrant County College faculty members and three staff and one department were recognized Thursday for outstanding achievement to their students and the TCC community.

Faculty from each of TCC’s campuses received the Chancellor’s Award for Exemplary Teaching in recognition of their outstanding commitment and dedication to superlative instruction. The faculty award was started by Chancellor Emeritus Joe B. Rushing in 1986.

Staff for the Chancellor’s Starpoint Employee Excellence Awards were recognized in the areas of Access and Diversity, Innovation and Creativity, Student Success and Service to the Community. Staff recognition was initiated in 2011 by current Chancellor Erma Johnson Hadley.

Faculty award recipients are Patricia Richards, associate professor of photography, Northeast Campus; Eileen Preston, professor of biology, Northwest Campus; David Gustafson, assistant professor of math, South Campus; Catherine Costello, assistant professor of math, Southeast Campus; and John Hiser, associate professor of Health Science, Trinity River Campus.

Receiving staff recognition were Steven LeMons, coordinator of the Trinity River Writing and Learning Center for Access and Diversity; Brunilda Santiago, Southeast instructor of math, Innovation and Creativity; Jeana Locke, director of South Academic Affairs and Weekend College, and Business Advisors Sam Emmerson, Cynthia Harnest, Deborah Liptak, Myron Pullum and Cle Royal of the Small Business Development Center Counseling Team.

Other exemplary teaching nominees this year were Northeast Sociology Professor Murray Fortner and Math Instructor Karen Pace; Northwest English Instructor Jeffrey Miranda and Business Instructor Julie Russell; South Assistant Psychology Professor Staussa Ervin and Associate Government Professor Martha Musgrove; Southeast English Professor Elizabeth Joseph and Government Professor Catherine Bottrell; and Trinity River Associate Psychology Professor Hector Menchaca and English Professor Jim Schrantz.

Staff also nominated for excellence awards by category were Access and Diversity: Modesta Tollison, Northeast assistant ESOL professor, and JoLynn Sprole, South financial aid director; Innovation and Creativity: Elizabeth Landwermeyer, District assistant financial aid director;  and Vikas Rajpurohit, District assistant admission services director; Student Success: Kristin Byrd, Northeast associate biology professor, and South STARS Program staff Sharron Crear, director; James Jesse, assistant director; Dennis Lee, academic advisor; and Zoi Tucker, administrative assistant; Service to Community: Angel Fernandez, Trinity River associate art professor,  and Vesta Martinez, Northwest student development director.

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