Six State Fair Community College nominees received awards Nov. 4-6 at the Missouri Community College Association’s (MCCA) 51st annual convention in Lake Ozark. The students, staff and supporters of the college were chosen from thousands of peers across the state for their outstanding leadership, innovation and support of SFCC.

State Fair Community College
State Fair Community College
loading...

• Board of Trustees President Gary Noland received the Trustee Leadership Award. Noland has served SFCC since 1972, for 43 years of continuous service. He served as an instructor, director of Job Placement, director of Statewide Job Placement for community colleges and vocational-technical schools, director of State Fair's Area Vocational-Technical School, member of the SFCC Foundation Board of Directors, and for the last 12 years as a college trustee. He has served as president of the Board of Trustees for the last eight years.

• SFCC-Clinton instructor Jacob Roach received the Technology Innovation Award. Roach was able to harness the power of Twitter to help his math students overcome what often can be a difficult subject. When students encountered a problem, they snapped a quick photo of their work and shared it on Twitter. Roach then replied, marking up the photo and offering guidance and feedback. Through Twitter, he was able to reach students who may not have had access to the Internet or a computer but who did have a cell phone.

• Taylor Sidebottom received the Student Leadership Award. Sidebottom serves as a resident assistant in the Residence Hall, is the 2015-2016 Student Government Association president and participates in numerous other campus activities. She is in the TRiO program and recently served as the student representative on a team that developed the new TRiO grant. After completing her Associate of Arts in Psychology, she plans to attend the University of Central Missouri.

• Instructor James Page received the Senior Service Award. Page is celebrating his 25th year in the classroom and his 22nd year at SFCC. He teaches U.S. History and other social science courses. He served as division chair of the Humanities, Social Sciences, Fine and Performing Arts, and Education and Early Childhood disciplines and for the last two years has served as division chair for the SFCC online program.

• Doug Sokolowski, Townsquare Media, received the News Media Award. Every month, Sokolowski features faculty, staff and students from the college on his radio program, and each week he hosts a special “Coaches’ Show” for SFCC athletics. He also has played cameo roles in college plays, participated in celebrity basketball games and emceed athletics award ceremonies. Even when the Roadrunners lost more than half the team during the 2014 fall semester, Sokolowski’s support kept people coming to the games and cheering on the team.

• Dr. Harold F. Daum received the Award of Distinction. Daum has a passion for modern art, and upon his retirement he approached his friend and SFCC art instructor Doug Freed with a proposition. Not only did Dr. Daum donate his massive personal art collection to the college but also in 2002 donated $2.25 million for a museum to preserve and exhibit the art and another $500,000 in matching funds to create an acquisitions endowment for future purchases. All told, his gifts are valued at more than $5 million, but the benefits to the college and the community are far greater. The Daum Museum of Contemporary Art has exposed thousands to the world of contemporary art, and SFCC is proud to have the museum on its campus.

SFCC also won the membership trophy for having the highest percentage of members of any member community college for the second year in a row.
Numerous SFCC staff members also presented during informational sessions:

• Amanda Stoecklein, director of Admissions and Outreach, and Dr. Joe Gilgour, dean of Student and Academic Support Services —“College connections: Fostering college and career readiness through strategic partnerships between high schools and post-secondary”

• Dr. Rhonda Hutton Gann, associate dean of Allied Health; Katie Bond, navigator; Danika Doyle, Student Success/Informatics coordinator; Allison Brosch, Nursing Year Two director; and Tara Weber, Nursing Year One director—“It takes a team to build success”

• Dr. Joe Gilgour, dean of Student and Academic Support Services—“Navigation advising at SFCC–implementation and initial results”

• Dr. Rhonda Hutton Gann, associate dean of Allied Health, joined staff from two- and four-year institutions to discuss—“Nursing education-seamless transitions: A new approach”

• Dr. Brent Bates, vice president of Education and Student Support Services—“SFCC curriculum management project”

MCCA is a statewide organization that provides advocacy, education, information, and networking opportunities in service of the state’s 5,700 community college faculty, staff, administrators, and trustees. More than 500 people attended this year’s convention, which featured nearly 50 educational information sessions.

More From AM 1050 KSIS