ACC Recognizes Five Faculty Members for Excellence

		“I work with wonderful people at Arapahoe,” Mary Sloan (holding plaque), Arapahoe Community College Faculty of the Year, told the gathering at the annual Colorado Community College System Faculty of the Year reception, held February 14 at the Community College of Aurora. Sloan was also honored with the Jerome F. Wartgow Teaching with Technology Award, given annually at the Faculty of the Year luncheon to a faculty member focused on technology or using technology in educating students. In addition to the Faculty of the Year honorees, attending the luncheon were members of the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education (SBCCOE) and CCCS administrators. Pictured with Sloan are (l-r) Nancy McCallin, CCCS president, Bert Glandon, ACC president, and Barbara McKellar, SBCCOE chair. (Photo: Ernie Leyba)
		Arapahoe Community College’s Distinguished Faculty for 2006-2007 from left to right are: Erica Johnson, David Trott, Anette Bigalk and Jim Cannata

(February 22, 2007 – Littleton, Colo.) Arapahoe Community College (ACC) recently honored five of its 100 full-time faculty members for excellence at facilitating student learning. Annette Bigalk, Erica Johnson, Jim Cannata and Dave Trott were identified as ACC’s “Distinguished Faculty” for the 2006-2007 academic year. Next, Mary Sloan was named ACC’s 2007 Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year (the highest honor bestowed upon ACC faculty).

ACC bestows its “Distinguished Faculty” faculty designation upon those instructors who, in the past year, have going above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to effective teaching at the College. They are nominated by faculty and the final selections were made by a Faculty/Administrative committee. ACC’s Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year is voted on by the faculty from a pool of nominees put forth by individual instructors. Sloan was recognized February 14 at a state-wide luncheon alongside the other faculty members of the year from the 13 institutions that comprise Colorado’s Community College System (CCCS). At that time CCCS choose her from all the Faculty-of-the-Years gathered to receive their Jerome Wartgow Teaching with Technology Award for Sloan’s dedication to enhancing higher education via technology.

“The ACC faculty that have been selected for these awards take student learning very seriously and they show their dedication to the College and their students in remarkable ways,” says ACC Vice President of Instruction Dr. Diane Hegeman. The reasons each faculty member has been honored by ACC follow: 

Annette Bigalk
Bigalk chairs ACC’s Health Information Technology Department (HIT) and the Health Professions Department and serves on the Academic Standards Committee.  She was recognized by the College for developing online courses for both departments which resulted in access to HIT and other health courses to students outside the Denver area who have lacked in any other way of pursuing such curriculums. Bigalk is excited about a “virtual lab” that is being developed that will provide her online students access to industry standard software from home.  She states that it is very satisfying to provide graduates with job skills that fit the current job market in healthcare. Upon receiving the award Bigalk commented, “I am honored to be in the same company with Erica, Dave, and Jim.  There are many faculty here at ACC who also deserve this honor.” 

Erica Johnson
Erica Johnson chairs ACC’s Math Department. She is noted for her hard work and dedication with helping incorporate “The Great Books” into the mathematics curriculum at ACC. In addition to chairing the Faculty Salary Committee, she is the faculty advisor for ACC’s chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa community college student Honor Society where she facilitates the community service of its members (e.g., their involvement in Relay for Life, the Better World Book Drive and their Recycling program). On top of all that, she is also an ACC budgetary process leader and has converted several of ACC’s courses to the “hybrid” online format. “What I find most rewarding about teaching at ACC,” says Johnson, “is my interaction with the students. I’m sure that I learn more from them than they learn from me.”   

David Trott
David Trott is well known at ACC for teaching Astronomy as well as chairing the College’s Online Standards Committee. Trott is very unique when it comes to teaching. When asked, “Do you do anything innovative to help students learn?” He answered, “Taking a class in Astronomy is not just about the subject. It is about broadening oneself….Information is good, but it is enhanced if there is active learning.” Trott goes on to quote an ancient Chinese proverb, “Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Involve me and I will understand.”  You can tell the proverb hits home with him by the way he describes his in-class learning environment. For example, he says, “I try to get students engaged as often as possible in my classes with creative group activities, role playing, debates, computer-based interactive exercises and more.” Trott has much gratitude for receiving the award and remarks, “I see myself as a stand-in for every faculty member here. It is really all of us who are doing a great job.” 

Jim Cannata
Jim Cannata is ACC’s Art Department Chair and Photography Program Coordinator. He stands out for the innovative ways he helps his students learn photography. For example, he takes them literally inside a huge “walk-in” camera built by the College’s Photography Club. He says, “It is such a great tool for introducing some of the principles and concepts behind what makes photography work.”  In addition to the “active teaching style” he takes with his students, his past accomplishments include: judging the Community College of Denver’s annual student art show, facilitating the Art Department’s hosting the Colorado Art Education Association Spring Conference at ACC, serving on the Society for Photographic Education and being active with the College’s Faculty Senate. With regard to teaching at ACC, Cannata comments, “I find seeing students succeed and watching them grow very rewarding. I’ve taught at a number of schools along the Front Range over the years and I have always admired how hard-working and eager to learn the students are here at ACC.”   

Mary Sloan
Sloan has taught on the Mathematics Faculty at ACC for 16 years. Throughout her career, Sloan has made many contributions by serving on numerous committees to enhance student access and success at ACC. In addition to mentoring new faculty, Sloan serves as a teacher’s teacher helping faculty become proficient with WebCT, the College’s online teaching system. However, Sloan is best known for the outstanding teaching skills that she demonstrates to students in the classroom or those who access her instruction via the Internet. She endeavors to connect to her students by using a variety of examples of how mathematics relates to the “real world” and applies to everyone. When asked how she felt about being named the College’s Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year, Sloan responded, “I have been fortunate to have many fine faculty role models here.” 

In recent comments about the five remarkable faculty, ACC President Dr. Bert Glandon said, “Way to go Mary, Annette, Erica, David and Jim!  Your hard work and dedication toward the community college learners of the south metro-Denver area is exceptional and the College and those who have been fortunate enough to be your students are very grateful for it “

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