Each year, Kent State University honors full-time, nontenure track and part-time faculty members who are nominated by their students and peers for being among the most dedicated, highly effective and motivated professors at the university. The Outstanding Teaching Award is presented by the University Teaching Council. The three award recipients will be honored at the University Teaching Council’s Celebrating College Teaching conference luncheon and awards ceremony on Oct. 20.
This year’s finalists for the Outstanding Teaching Awards are:
Elizabeth Carr, The Fashion School
Elizabeth Carr, senior lecturer, runs her classroom and lab environment like a team; she and the students are on the same side of the mountain, just at different altitudes. While Ms. Carr has high expectations for success, she is enthusiastic and supportive of experimentation and commends ardent challenges even when design elements collapse. She believes that if people are not stretched, poked and challenged from their personal stagnant spaces and driven to new, uncharted territories, they forfeit opportunities for exceptional learning and personal growth. Ms. Carr says her extensive fashion industry career does not compare to the fulfillment and personal successes she has experienced through teaching at Kent State.
Ellen P. Daniels, Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship
Ellen Daniels created the Professional Sales Certificate program in 2013, the only professional certificate offered within the College of Business Administration. In 2009, Ms. Daniels established the Kent chapter of Pi Sigma Epsilon, a national professional sales and marketing fraternity that is open to all majors and gender. This fraternity provides a platform for students to develop management and marketing skills, as well as friendships with other Kent State students. Ms. Daniels also coaches and accompanies Kent State students to five collegiate sales competitions each year where they not only compete against top sales programs from across the country, but also have the opportunity to interview with major corporations such as HPE, Whirlpool, Amazon, Microsoft, Tom James and Comcast.
Rochelle Hostler, School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies
As Rochelle Hostler, lecturer in teaching, learning and curriculum studies, prepares to meet a new group of pre-service teachers each semester at Kent State, she strives to model for students the dispositions she expects them to enact when working with young children. Ms. Hostler does this by being clear, organized and honest, and by demonstrating a commitment to both student learning and to the field of early childhood. Her proudest teaching moments are those where students are able to articulate their understanding of the ways that their teaching practice can influence a child’s life at school. Ms. Hostler felt most successful when, at the end of one of her classes, a student offered this statement, “Rochelle was extremely committed to teaching, which made it easy to be committed to learning."
Richard Mangrum, College of Aeronautics and Engineering
Richard Mangrum, Ed.D., professor and graduate program coordinator, focuses his teaching on guiding students to help achieve their goals. During his classes, he asks himself, “Would I be okay with these students flying, controlling and managing a flight with my family on board?” Dr. Mangrum continues to remain qualified and relevant in the aeronautics industry in order to educate students to take part in the global industry of transporting goods and people. He believes his teaching must facilitate an environment that produces capable, competent and critically thinking professionals to ensure only well-qualified people graduate.
Eriko Tanaka, Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies
Eriko Tanaka is from Osaka, Japan, and came to the United States 20 years ago to attend graduate school. She has been teaching at the college level for the past 10 years. Currently, Ms. Tanaka is the Japanese program coordinator at Kent State, teaching introductory and upper-level Japanese courses, as well as advising students in the Japanese minor program. Her primary goal in teaching is to create a supportive environment for students where they feel safe to speak in Japanese without feeling embarrassed or scared. She wants students to look forward to coming to class and to continue studying Japanese beyond the elementary level. Ms. Tanaka works hard to create a sense of community in classes and the Japanese program at Kent State.
David Trebing, Ph.D., School of Communication Studies
Dave Trebing is described by students and colleagues as passionate about teaching and dedicated to his students. He regularly receives positive feedback from former students about how high-impact professional speaking skills are highly applicable to real-world environments. Dr. Trebing uses the argumentative method as a staple in his classes, and he encourages students to look at all sides of any issue. The success of his honors student, Rachel Morrell, who adapted her honors thesis to present at the Central States Communication Association in spring 2016 is among one of Dr. Trebing’s fondest moments at Kent State.