House/Bruckmann nominees for 2022 announced

Faculty & Staff, Success Stories

Mar 30, 2022

Five faculty members have been nominated as finalists for the House/Bruckmann Faculty Excellence Awards for 2022:

Dr. Beth Hamon
Kelly Hubbard
Marianne Niese
Kathleen Pickens
Jeff Wright

Voting to determine the two award recipients for 2022 ends on Friday, Apr. 1.

Faculty members and others eligible to vote received a link to the online ballot with the subject line “Voting Now Open for 2022 House-Bruckmann Faculty Excellence Award.“
The award recipients and the other nominees will be honored during Common Time on Monday, Apr. 18, along with the recipients of the Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award and the newest recipients of Professor Emeritus status.

The 2022 House/Bruckmann Award nominees (with excerpts from their nomination statements) are:

Dr. Beth Hamon, Professor, Nursing (Health & Public Safety)

Beth is nominated for her excellence in instruction, her collaborative spirit, and her professional achievements. She joined the full-time faculty at Cincinnati State in 2010.

Her nomination states:

Beth holds students to high standards and provides guidance that helps students prepare for the nursing board exam (NCLEX-RN). As a result of her instruction and support, more than 90% of the Nursing students consistently pass the exit exam on their first attempt.
Beth also helps guide and support new faculty members, including sometimes co-teaching with new faculty to help them learn best practices for engaging with students.
She shares class content such as lectures and videos and provides models such as using case studies and other “real life” applications to connect the students’ clinical performance with their classroom theory and knowledge.
Beth went back to school and earned her Doctorate in Nursing Practice, which helped her to further develop her leadership skills, and she preparing for and passed the Certified Nurse Educator exam, leading to additional student-centered learning by implementing virtual simulations and case studies in her courses.

Beth’s nomination reflects “the excellence that inspires her colleagues and her students to move forward into their careers.”

Kelly Hubbard, Program Chair and Professor, Early Childhood Education (Humanities & Sciences)

Kelly is nominated for her excellence in instruction and contributions to the community. She joined Cincinnati State in 2014 as an adjunct and became a member of the full-time faculty in 2015.

Her nomination states:

Kelly’s exemplary teaching practices in Early Childhood Education (ECE) have resulted in ratings on student evaluations for the past three years near 100%. Students recognize Kelly’s thorough knowledge of the subject matter and effective course delivery in traditional as well as online environments.
As an academic advisor, Kelly assists more than 100 ECE students per year, providing a balance of guidance, accountability, and inspiration.
Kelly was a member of the leadership group that created the NKU 2 + 2 Articulation Pathway for ECE. She participated in the Ohio Department of Higher Education Faculty Cluster Panel for 2 + 2 education pathways and served as a subject matter expert for CTAG end-of-course exam item writing.
Kelly is recognized as a national and regional leader in the ECE profession. She was a featured speaker at the National Association for the Education of Young Children Conference and is a member of the Advisory Board for the Butler County Educational Service Center.

Kelly’s nomination reflects “her commitment to student success, her efforts to grow and popularize the Early Childhood Education program, and her dedicated contributions to the community.”

Marianne Niese, Program Chair and Professor, Human and Social Services (Humanities & Sciences)

Marianne is nominated for her contributions to the College and her professional achievements. Before joining the full-time faculty in 2013, she served the College as an adjunct instructor and as a part-time academic advisor. She was the FYE instructor at Middletown campus before moving to her current responsibilities at Clifton Campus.

Her nomination states:

Marianne has been a leader of the College’s Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) since 2017. She led research into best practices for Title IX pregnancy-related incidents and co-created a BIT “to do” list to assure follow-through on projects.
She led or co-led numerous workshop sessions for faculty and staff concerning management of disruptive student behavior, and is currently co-leading development of a BIT website.
In collaboration with Faculty Senate, Marianne produced and made available for widespread campus use a reference guide for mental health resources for students.
As the recently-elected AAUP President, Marianne has initiated or advanced several projects, including a successful application for a grant from National AAUP, revising the Chapter Constitution and Bylaws for presentation to members for voting, and working with administration on many issues related to shared governance.
Before she developed and launched the Human and Social Services degree program that she now chairs on Clifton Campus, Marianne was a lead faculty member at Middletown Campus and facilitated faculty and staff connections between Main and Middletown campuses.

Marianne’s nomination reflects “her commitment and efforts to improve the experiences of students, faculty colleagues, and numerous collaborators throughout the College.”

Kathleen Pickens, Coordinator of Information Services, Library

Kathleen is nominated for excellence in instruction, commitment to student success, collaborative spirit and contributions to the College. She joined Cincinnati State as a full-time faculty member in 2012.

Her nomination states:

In a project that went well beyond her typical job duties, Kathleen worked countless hours throughout the winter break to develop a series of interactive Skill Builder tutorials that teach students how to find, evaluate, and use various library resources. Each module starts with a demonstration video and then gives the users the chance to put their knowledge into action.
In addition to the tutorials, Kathleen has also expanded the library’s subject area databases and teaches students about the power and possibility that research can provide to their academic pursuits. She constantly seeks out feedback about any new resources or policies and she’s always willing to lend a helping hand and serve in whatever capacity is needed.
Kathleen’s passion for work is contagious and motivates those who have the pleasure of working with her. As emcee for last year’s New Employee Welcome Party on Zoom, Kathleen brought some much-needed laughter to the event by giving career advice to those who would be working remotely via Zoom: “Wear pants!”
During the past two years, Kathleen was the driving force behind the library’s pandemic response plans, including finding ways to expand virtual services, such as implementing scheduling software to set appointments for instruction and research assistance.

Kathleen’s nomination reflects “her dedication, flexibility, and hard work which have been particularly evident during the difficult last couple of years.”

Jeff Wright, Program Chair and Professor, Aviation Maintenance Technology (Engineering & Information Technologies)

Jeff is nominated for excellence in instruction, commitment to student success, and contributions to the College and the community. He graduated from Cincinnati Technical College in 1981 and joined the College as an adjunct in 1989. He has been a full-time faculty member since 1997.

His nomination states:

As chair of the Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) program since 2017, Jeff has updated and modernized instruction, leading to substantial increases in persistence, pass rates, and credentialing for his students, while also ensuring that courses meet Federal Aviation Administration requirements as well as College requirements.
He can be found at the Cincinnati West (Harrison) Campus at all hours of the day, often teaching both morning and evening classes and giving FAA certification tests in the afternoon.
Jeff has worked with several area high schools (Three Rivers School District, Kenton County School District, Great Oaks, and Butler Tech) to provide classes needed to allow these students to earn their FAA Air Frame Certificate and take initial steps into aviation maintenance employment.
He has met with foundations and graduates to raise funds for the purchase of new equipment, including a successful effort resulting in a recent $100,000 STEM grant from the State of Ohio.
Jeff has been meeting with architects to develop plans for expanding the facility at Cincinnati West, to create space to support an ever-increasing student population.

Jeff’s nomination reflects “his efforts to increase opportunities for students to enter well-paid positions in the aviation maintenance profession and also help meet significant community need for qualified technicians.”

Background:

The House/Bruckmann Faculty Excellence Award was established in 1985. Award criteria have been revised several times since the inception of this recognition program.

The current House/Bruckmann Awards process uses guidelines that were first implemented by the Faculty Senate in 2020-21, following recommendations from a task force of faculty members and administrators, including multiple past recipients of the award.
The award is named for Clifford R. House, the first president of Cincinnati Technical College, and Alice P. Bruckmann, a member of the College’s first Board of Trustees.
The nomination form asks respondents to comment on the nominee’s excellence related to up to 3 of the following 7 criteria:

Excellence in Instruction
Commitment to Student Success
Collaborative Spirit
Contributions to the College
Contributions to the Community
Professional Achievements
Other

All nominations are reviewed by a Screening Subcommittee comprised of past award recipients, and up to 5 nominees are recommended for recognition as finalists.