{"id":80,"date":"2014-12-27T06:40:49","date_gmt":"2014-12-27T06:40:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mccdemosite1.devsiteurl.com\/celt\/?page_id=80"},"modified":"2017-08-12T01:06:53","modified_gmt":"2017-08-12T05:06:53","slug":"faculty-award-recipients","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mccdemosite1.devsiteurl.com\/celt\/faculty-awards-2\/faculty-award-recipients\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty Award Recipients"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Shirley Wachtel, MCC Faculty Scholar 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. Shirley Wachtel is a Professor in the English Department, teaching for over 25 years. She earned her Bachelor\u2019s Degree from Brooklyn College, a Master of Arts Degree from Long Island University, and a Doctor of Letters Degree from Drew University. Her dissertation consists of a formal study about children of Holocaust survivors, Second Generation in Middle Age, and a creative memoir, My Mother\u2019s Shoes. The memoir which spawned a novel has been the subject of numerous presentations. Dr. Wachtel has conducted readings and discussions of her novel for over 500 students at the Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, North Carolina; members of the United States State Department and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC; the Middlesex County Chapter of Brandeis Women; and at other venues. Her sabbatical project was devoted to research into expanding the College\u2019s Holocaust and Human Rights Center, where she continues to be an advocate and active member. She shares her scholarship with MCC students to advance writing in her \u201cwriting about survival\u201d classes.<\/p>\n

Dr. Wachtel has done extensive research in reading and basic skills, resulting in the 2012 publication of a series, Spotlight on Reading, which is being used successfully in the classroom. She has also presented readings of her novel, The Music Makers, which has received excellent reviews, and a book of poems, In The Mellow Light. Her poem, \u201cA Summer\u2019s Evening,\u201d earned second prize in the Dream Quest 2015 Contest. She continues to publish extensively for adults and children, and her work has been featured in several literary journals. Dr. Wachtel shares her love for literature and writing, as well as advancing the cause for human rights, each day in the classroom. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\nKathleen Shay, MCC Excellence in Teaching 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. Kathleen Shay is a Professor of Mathematics and a founding member and current director of MCC\u2019s Center for the Enrichment of Learning and Teaching (CELT). She\u2019s earned four degrees from Rutgers University: a Bachelor\u2019s degree from Douglass College, a Master of Education degree from the Graduate School of Education, and Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from The Graduate School.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lifelong learner, Kathy brings innovation and new technologies to the classroom, continually working with students to instill a love of learning in addition to teaching them how to learn,\u201d said Professor Susan Altman, chair of the selection committee. Vice President Mark McCormick noted that \u201cKathy is always at the forefront in testing new teaching strategies and in piloting the use of new technology in the classroom.\u201d <\/p>\n

Dr. Shay\u2019s core principles have guided her ever-evolving teaching practice throughout her 36-year career at MCC. These principles include providing a warm and welcoming learning environment, building relationships with students that support and encourage them in the classroom and beyond, and maintaining high standards for her students and herself. Kathy continually seeks to upgrade her pedagogy using evidence-based teaching and learning practices. She says, \u201cUntil all of my earnest students are able to succeed in my courses, improvements will be sought.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough CELT, Kathy shares her love of teaching and learning with the wider MCC faculty community,\u201d Professor Altman said. \u201cShe challenges us to think about how we approach pedagogy in the classroom and raises up all of our teaching.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Sara Blomquist, MCC Excellence in Teaching Part Time 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sara Blomquist earned her BA in English from Rutgers University (Douglass College) and her MFA in Creative Writing: Fiction from Temple\u00a0University. While at Temple, in the Fall of 2010, she joined their First Year Writing Program, completing their semester-long teaching practicum, and has been teaching First Year Writing since.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

She has taught at several different types of institutions, from community colleges, such as MCC, to smaller universities, such as Philadelphia University, to large universities, such as Rutgers. She has\u202falso taught different levels of First Year Writing, from developmental to research methods, giving her a wide range of skills and experience.\u202f\u00a0
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\nProfessor Blomquist\u00a0came to MCC in the Spring of 2012, starting at the New Brunswick Center. She moved to the Edison Campus a year later, and\u00a0has\u00a0been\u00a0a valuable member of MCC\u2019s adjunct teaching community ever\u00a0since.\u00a0She uses best practices and a hands-on approach to teaching that promotes\u00a0student success through\u00a0universal design, instructor\u00a0accessibility\u00a0in and out of class,\u00a0frequent low stakes student assessments with detailed feedback, and individualized instruction. All of which\u00a0helps\u00a0foster a life-long love of learning.\u00a0\u00a0
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\nWhen Sara first began teaching, she learned that first year writing professors are often the first college faculty students ever speak to.\u00a0The professors students meet first\u00a0are the ones who will influence the rest of these students\u2019 college careers, not only though the skills taught, but through their experience in the classroom. This is why she runs her classroom the way she does: the reason why she makes herself accessible,\u202fher classroom welcoming, and her assignments with realistic yet challenging goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Previous Award Recipients:<\/h3>\n