Five faculty members at Emporia State University received awards on Jan. 11 for their work within The Teachers College.
Dr. Tiffany Hill received the Excellence in Instruction Award. The award recognizes her ability to model good teaching through implementing new instructional strategies, responding to student feedback, and maintaining excellent teacher/student rapport. As a teacher educator, her attention to detail, commitment to student success, and caring demeanor result in consistently high evaluations from students. Student comments include descriptors like passionate, effective, amazing, incredible, and kind – with one student summing it up with the comment “the most influential person in my education.” Hill is an assistant professor in the department of elementary education, early childhood, special education.
Dr. Nancy Albrecht received the Excellence in Service Award. Albrecht was recognized for being a passionate advocate for students, teachers and the teaching profession. Cited for bringing recognition and financial support to ESU through her prolific and successful grant writing, Albrecht has focused on equipping classroom teachers and protecting at-risk students. On the state level, she partners with other educational leaders seeking to improve education by serving on the Kansas Learning First Alliance. In addition to serving on numerous committees, she is also active in the Association of Teacher Educators at both the state and national levels. Albrecht is a professor in the department of school leadership / middle and secondary teacher education.
Recipients for these faculty recognition awards are nominated by their respective academic departments and selected by a university-wide committee. Each winner receives a plaque and a monetary award to be used by the recipient for professional development expenses.
Each year, the Darrell E. Wood Service Award goes to an individual who has supported the mission of the college in a unique or outstanding manner. This year’s award went to Dr. Scott Waters. Waters was described as a “quiet leader who does not hesitate to speak up with ideas to support positive changes in the department and The Teachers College.” Along with teaching courses, Waters has coordinated the Kansas Master Teacher Awards, directed the Kansas Future Teacher Academy, advised students through the elementary advising office, and serves as faculty athletic representative. Most noticeably, he serves – in costume – as the schoolmaster of ESU’s One Room School, providing visitors with information about past education practices. Waters is a professor in the department of elementary education, early childhood, special education.
The Ervay Family Award for Applied Scholarship was given to Dr. Paul Bland and Dr. Amanda Lickteig for their project to research, redesign and implement a new way to extend the amount of time secondary education students work in middle and high schools. Bland and Lickteig spent two years developing this concept and have it not alter credit hour requirements, among other criteria. The program has been well received by those involved and secondary education majors are saying they have a better understanding of middle and high school settings because of it. Bland, professor, and Lickteig, assistant professor, are in the department of school leadership / middle and secondary teacher education.