Adjunct Excellence Awards for 2022 represent four academic divisions

Faculty & Staff, Success Stories

Apr 8, 2022

The 2022 recipients of Cincinnati State’s Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award will be honored during Common Time on Monday, Apr. 18, along with nominees and recipients of the House/Bruckmann Faculty Excellence Award and the newest recipients of Professor Emeritus status.

Adjunct Faculty Excellence Awards were presented for the first time in 2021. This year’s group of award recipients represents four academic divisions.

Jennifer Geiger (Engineering & Information Technologies)

Jennifer has been an adjunct faculty member at Cincinnati State since 2010.

She is a part-time Cooperative Education Coordinator for Environmental Engineering Technology, Chemical Technology, Civil Engineering Technologies and the Land Surveying bachelor’s degree and has assisted with co-op coordination for other EIT programs.

In addition, Jennifer teaches courses in the Environmental Engineering Technology program including Environmental Geology and Environmental Science: Conservation and Cleanup.

Jennifer was nominated for her Commitment to Student Success. Her nomination described her as “sympathetic and caring toward students” and noted her excellent rapport with students, employers, and faculty colleagues in her efforts to develop new co-op opportunities.

She developed a fully online version of the Environmental Geology course to support the Land Surveying bachelor’s degree.
She also has provided virtual tutoring for students in technical courses.
Jennifer encourages students to participate in activities beyond the classroom (such as the Mill Creek Alliance Water Testing & Stream Monitoring Program and the Green Umbrella Organization) to gain experience in the field and build professional networks.
She has assisted with many College and extracurricular events, including Earth Jam (the Greater Cincinnati Earth Day Celebration), as well as the ENGAGE event, Environmental High School Days and other recruiting events.
Jennifer served as an Advisory Panel Member and Judge for Ignite Institute’s Engineering Student Presentations.

Jennifer’s nomination noted, “She is passionate about helping students succeed through her teaching and advising, and always has a positive attitude. She represents the College professionally in all her interactions on campus and in the community.”

Debbie Greenlee (Humanities & Sciences)

Debbie is a full-time College staff member who also has served an an adjunct instructor for 26 years, teaching courses in Psychology and First-Year Experience (FYE)

Debbie was nominated for her Excellence in Instruction, Commitment to Student Success, and Contributions to the College.

Her nomination noted that Debbie’s FYE students say “she cares about their success, not just getting them through” in the course designed to help students navigate college successfully.

As Director of the Tutoring Center, Debbie offers comprehensive high-quality academic tutoring, and she led efforts to successfully transition the Tutoring Center and Math Center services from in-person to remote support at the start of the pandemic and for the past two years.
Debbie also has been instrumental in supporting a variety of College initiatives and student activities, including serving on the Higher Learning Commission Peer Review Team, supporting Student Food Insecurity initiatives including the Surge Cupboard Food Pantry and Farmer’s Markets, and serving as sponsor for the Cincy 4 Christ student organization.
She also provides support for student-focused campus events such as Club Day, the Student Resource Fair, and the Work-Study Job Fair

Debbie’s nomination said, “She empowers students and others to do and be their best because she is committed and student centered.”

Kathryn O’Gorman (Business Technologies)

Kathy has served as an adjunct instructor in the Accounting program for 25 years, including during her time as full-time Director of Cincinnati State’s Library (1993-2011) and since retiring from that role.
Kathy also has taught a variety of Cincinnati State Math courses and a Computer Basics course.

Kathy was nominated for her Excellence in Instruction.

Her nomination stated that as an instructor for Financial Accounting and Payroll Procedures courses, “Kathy has been instrumental in teaching a variety of course formats– including online and LiveWeb versions.”

She helped make enhancements to the Financial Accounting course that have been incorporated into the curriculum.
She works closely with the full-time Accounting faculty to develop and implement improvements for course delivery, and provides input that is critical to the success of this gateway course.
Kathy continuously offers her time and assistance to benefit courses and the Accounting program.

Her nomination said, “Kathy is a dedicated and passionate educator who is committed to Cincinnati State students, the College mission, and the impact of Cincinnati State in the community.”

Felicia Rinaldi (Health & Public Safety)

Felicia has taught in the Biology Department at Cincinnati State for two years (this is her 7th semester), and she serves as a team leader for BIO 100, Integrated Biology and Skills for Success in Science.

Felicia was nominated for her Excellence in Instruction and her Collaborative Spirit.

Her nomination said Felicia has shown “an impressive commitment to her students and a drive to improve her teaching.”

Felicia was a key part of the shift to an entirely new instruction modality for BIO 100 required for pandemic operations, and many of her innovations are now a standard part of all BIO 100 course sections.
The LiveWeb BIO 100 courses Felicia developed were so successful they are likely to continue as an option for future course delivery.
Felicia has taken a leadership role in the delivery of the course, assisting the lead instructor with some course organizing and communication.

Felicia’s nomination praised her communications to students as “examples that could be used in class management lessons for faculty– the messages are both direct and compassionate, and she walks the difficult line between providing support and holding students accountable.”

Background

The Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award was first presented in 2021, using criteria and processes developed during the 2020 academic year by a Faculty Senate task force that included faculty members and academic administrators.

Any part-time employee with responsibilities that involve instruction, cooperative education coordination, clinical or practicum coordination, or academic advising is eligible for nomination.
Nominations can be made by full-time and part-time faculty, academic administrators, staff members, and students. The nomination form asks respondents to comment on the nominee’s excellence related to up to 3 of the following 7 criteria:
Nominations are reviewed by the applicable program or department chair, and by an academic administrator.
All nominations supported by both the program/department chair and the applicable administrator are then reviewed by the Faculty Excellence Committee, which selects the award recipients.

Up to five adjunct faculty members may receive the award each year, with no more than one from each College division/area (BTD, EIT, HPS, H&S, and adjunct employees not associated with a specific division).