(Indianapolis, IN) – Ivy Tech Community College honored Dr. Christine Herr of Hagerstown as its Statewide Winner of the Excellence in Dual Credit Instruction President’s Award, the highest honor for Ivy Tech dual credit faculty. Winners from the College’s 19 campuses were also recognized at a special ceremony in June in Indianapolis.
“Dual credit faculty provide students with skills, knowledge, and competencies aligned with clear career pathways and seamless college transfer,” said Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann. “Dual credit programming taught by credentialled high school faculty is of tremendous value to our students and our state. By helping students earn post-secondary credentials while in high school, we’re accelerating Indiana’s economic growth and Hoosier prosperity.”
The Statewide Winner of the Excellence in Dual Credit Instruction President’s Award is a competitive selection process determined by the College’s K-14 Awards and Summit Planning Sub-Committee, an extension of the K-14 Academic Advisory Committee. The Committee is comprised of six Ivy Tech Community College program chairs who represent different Ivy Tech campuses and disciplines.
The winner is chosen based on specific award criteria, including their use of creative and/or innovative instructional techniques, engaging students in active learning, retaining students over the course of the semester, mastering and applying methods and techniques of excellence in instruction, and more.
“I am blessed to have two careers in my lifetime that have allowed me to live in a small rural town and work with amazing people promoting agriculture, and I am honored to accept this reward,” said Statewide Winner of the Excellence in Dual Credit Instruction President’s Award, Dr. Christine Herr. “This event recognizes phenomenal teachers each year who use their gifts to plant seeds and nurture students on a daily basis, helping them grow and leave the classroom a better person.”
Ivy Tech Richmond’s Director of K-14 Initiatives Melissa Kircher Smith, and Agriculture Program Chair Allison Steele, nominated Dr. Herr for the award. “Dr. Herr’s natural passion for encouraging students to appreciate the learning process, combined with her ability to tap into her own education and experience as a veterinarian, make her agriculture and chemistry dual credit classes rigorous, yet enjoyable. It’s not unusual to find students checking the garden, performing an experiment, or dancing in the classroom during a visit!” wrote Kircher Smith.
“Our dual credit faculty go above and beyond to ensure our students receive the best value for their education and pair that with innovative approaches to ensure the possibility of a post-secondary credential,” said Interim Vice President of K-14 and Strategic Initiatives, Monica Hingst. “This award recognizes instructors who best demonstrate excellence in instruction and exemplifies the mission of Ivy Tech.”
The Excellence in Dual Credit Instruction President’s Award is modeled after the College’s President’s Award to recognize College faculty and adjunct faculty members from Ivy Tech locations throughout the state.
A full list of the statewide honorees is included below.
Anderson: Leah Perry, Science Mount Vernon High School
Bloomington: Elbert “Buddy” Hart, Design, Lost River Career Cooperation
Columbus: Robin Perry, Business, Seymour High School
Evansville: Glenn Goffinet, Automotive & Advanced Manufacturing, Tell City Jr./Sr. High School
Fort Wayne/Warsaw: Ashley Johnson, Entrepreneurship, DeKalb High School
Hamilton County: Kim Kaiser, Business & Marketing, Hamilton Heights High School
Indianapolis: Rene Walker, Health Sciences, Pike Career and STEM Center
Kokomo: Amy Lancaster, English, Peru High School
Lafayette: Melissa Colonis, Math, Lafayette-Jefferson High School
Lake County: Dawn Combis, Entrepreneurship, Lake Central High School
Lawrenceburg/Batesville: Colleen Tincher, Foreign Language, Spanish, Franklin County High School
Madison: emeka Koren, Science, Madison Consolidated High School
Marion: Michelle Harrold, Math, Madison Grant High School
Muncie/Henry County: John Thompson, Chemistry, New Castle High School
Richmond: Dr. Christine Herr, Chemistry & Agriculture, Hagerstown High School
Sellersburg: Michael Day, Mathematics, Silver Creek High School
South Bend/Elkhart: Dee Dee Gerber, English, Mishawaka High School
Terre Haute: Samantha Woodard, English, Parke Heritage High School
Valparaiso: Laci Earle, Business, Washington Township High School
(Ivy Tech Community College press release)
