Five faculty members are nominees for the 2023 House/Bruckmann Awards

Five faculty members have been nominated as finalists for the House/Bruckmann Faculty Excellence Awards for 2023:

• Meredith Effler
• Ann Fallon
• Michael House
• Janice Lockett
• Alyce Thompson

Voting to determine the two award recipients for 2023 ends on Monday, March 27.

• Faculty members and others eligible to vote received email on March 20 from Institutional Research with a link to the online ballot. The message has the subject line “Voting Now Open for 2023 House-Bruckmann Faculty Excellence Award.“
• The award recipients and the other nominees will be honored during Common Time on Monday, April 24, along with the recipients of the Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award and new recipients of Professor Emeritus status.

The 2023 House/Bruckmann Award nominees are:

Meredith Effler, Professor of English (Humanities & Sciences)

Meredith is nominated for excellence in instruction, commitment to student success, and collaborative spirit. She was an adjunct instructor for five years and has served as a full-time faculty member for 10 years.

Her nomination states:

• In both the traditional and the web-based classroom, Meredith continuously hones her teaching skills and tries new techniques, as evidenced by her participation in a Professional Learning Community and a recent Library pilot project exploring use of learning modules for web students’ assignments.
• Meredith supports and encourages her colleagues in roles such as Co-Chair of the Peer Mentoring Advisory Committee, co-developer of the College’s First Fridays program to help faculty learn from one another, and volunteer coordinator for the Science Bowl. She represented Cincinnati State on the Ohio Faculty Senate and currently serves as the AAUP Secretary.
• Meredith’s work on College committees helps transform the lives of students beyond the classroom, including serving on the Strategic Plan Steering Committee, the Scholarship Committee, the Deans/Merit List Event Planning Committee, and the Women’s Empowerment Network.

Meredith’s nomination notes, “She models commitment, engagement, authenticity, and optimism, and her energy and enthusiasm have touched many parts of the College.”

Ann Fallon, Program Chair and Professor, Chemical Technology (Engineering & Information Technologies)

Ann is nominated for commitment to student success, contributions to the College, and other contributions. She served an an adjunct for four years and has been a full-time faculty member for 27 years.

Her nomination states: 

• Ann is passionate about helping students succeed in class and at work, through her teaching, advising, and tutoring, both in-person and in virtual format. She continuously develops new learning opportunities for students and encourages students to build professional networks outside the classroom.
• Ann took on new challenges and responsibilities in the Chemical Technology (CMT) program on top of teaching and advising responsibilities for the Environmental Engineering Technology (EVT) program.
• She assists with events like the Earth Jam (Earth Day) Celebration and numerous admission/recruiting events. She also trains and provides ongoing mentoring for numerous adjunct faculty in CMT and EVT.
• Ann’s contributions to the College community include serving as Co-chair of the Peer Mentoring Advisory Committee, and personally mentoring two tenure-track faculty members. She represents the division on the Honors Program Committee, helps to evaluate Scholarship applicants, and is chair of the AAUP Scholarship Committee. She is also the faculty advisor for the Student Environmental Club.

Ann’s nomination says she is “always willing to go above and beyond to help students succeed, and to promote her programs and the College.”

Michael House, Professor of Mathematics (Humanities & Sciences)

Mike is nominated for excellence in instruction, commitment to student success, and other contributions. He has been a member of the Cincinnati State faculty for 14 years.

His nomination states:

• Mike has served as chair of the Math Department and he was a key architect of Multiple Measures for placement. He made significant contributions to accelerating gateway Math classes.
• His leadership with the College’s Ohio Strong Start to Finish team has been invaluable in doubling the rate of traditionally-underserved students who enter directly into gateway mathematics courses. His work was essential in advancing Cincinnati State as a leader in Ohio for innovative placement and first-year completion of entryway courses.
• Mike is a founding member and served as co-chair of the Learning Outcomes Assessment Committee, where he has been instrumental in the creation of a college-wide assessment model that resulted in a “commended” interim report from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
• Mike is currently leading efforts to assess Institutional Learning Outcomes related to Problem Solving, and working with chairs college-wide to complete these assessments.

Mike’s nomination states that “his dedication to student success and college-wide contributions makes him an exceptional faculty member and an invaluable asset to our community.”

Dr. Janice Lockett, Program Chair and Professor, Nursing (Health & Public Safety)

Janice is nominated for contributions to the College and to the community, and for professional achievements. She served as an adjunct instructor for five years and has been a full-time faculty member for 24 years.

Her nomination states:

• As Program Chair for the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program, Janice mentors faculty and guides the ADN curriculum. She leads Nursing Faculty Organization meetings and the program’s Curriculum Committee. Janice also is the advisor to approximately 200 in-program nursing students and a resource for countless pre-program students.
• Janice spearheaded the program’s accreditation renewal process for the prestigious Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). 
• She serves as the division representative on the Health Careers Collaborative Committee and The Urban Health Collaborative Pathway, and serves on many college-wide committees including the JAIDE (Justice, Access, Inclusion, Diversity & Equity) Steering Committee, the Advisory Board for the Cincinnati State Transfer Center, the Learning Outcomes Assessment Committee, and the ITAG (Industry-Recognized Transfer Assurance Guide) Committee.
• Janice works with her church to offer resources for young adults, and assists the Encounter Life Kingdom Center Food Pantry. She sits on the Cincinnati Scholars program, working closely with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the University of Cincinnati to provide opportunities for student success.

Alyce Thompson, Program Co-Chair and Professor of English (Humanities & Sciences)

Alyce is nominated for commitment to student success, collaborative spirit, contributions to the College, and other contributions. She has been a Cincinnati State faculty member for 20 years.

Her nomination states:

• Alyce was a key contributor to the creation and implementation of Multiple Measures for new student placement in English courses. Her leadership in creation of the English 101A course has been integral to positioning the College as a state leader for first-year completion of English Composition 1.
• Alyce oversees the English Department’s College Credit Plus (CCP) program, including training and supporting CCP instructors from 29 area high schools. Alyce’s work on the Teaching and Mentoring Partnership for English teachers and the development of an online Literature class have been instrumental in supporting students and faculty alike.
• Currently Alyce is spearheading efforts to submit English courses for approval as part of Ohio’s Transfer Module 36 program
• Her contributions to the assessment of our College’s learning outcomes were integral to receiving an “exemplary” assessment interim report to the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
• Alyce serves on several college-wide committees, including the Learning Outcomes Assessment Committee and the CCP committee.

Alyce’s nomination says “she embodies faculty excellence and is an essential asset to Cincinnati State.”

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 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. 
• Tenured faculty members may be nominated by faculty and academic administrators based on demonstrated excellence related to the following criteria:
  • Excellence in Instruction
  • Commitment to Student Success
  • Collaborative Spirit
  • Contributions to the College
  • Contributions to the Community
  • Professional Achievements
  • Other
• Nominations are reviewed by a Screening Subcommittee comprised of past award recipients, and up to five nominees may be recommended for recognition as finalists.