New Horizons Awards recognize VCCS faculty who go the extra mile

One of the highlights of the annual New Horizons conference is an awards celebration honoring faculty members who have made extraordinary contributions in and outside of the classroom. Full-time and adjunct faculty are spotlighted, along with college teams for creating innovative programs to address the needs of their communities. In addition to statewide recognition, awards often include financial gifts to individuals or colleges, sponsored by the VCCS or the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education.

VCCS Chancellor David Doré and Senior Vice Chancellor Craig Herndon teamed up to present this year's awards.

Tidewater Community College Veterinary Science Dept. head Megan Taliaferro won top honors at the April 10 event, winning the Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence. As a working veterinarian, Dr. Taliaferro recognized the growing demand for skilled personnel in her field. She launched and secured national accreditation for vet assistant and vet tech training programs at TCC. In addition to her award at New Horizons this year, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia honored Dr. Taliaferro as one of this year's outstanding faculty members in Virginia.

The Susan S. WoodProfessorship for TeachingExcellence went to Piedmont Virginia Community College geology associate professor Callan Bentley. One of Bentley's students said, "I have traveled to places I previously could not have imagined, developed valuable leadership and academic schools, and have a sense of direction and hope for the future for the first time in my life."

There were four recipients for this year's George B. Vaughan Leadership Awards for Outstanding Adjunct Faculty. All four have put their real-world experience to work to benefit their students.

Jeffrey Acosta teaches U.S. and World History at Tidewater Community College. A career U.S. Marine and defense contractor, Acosta is also a proud TCC alumnus.

In addition to teaching a variety of health science courses at Virginia Western Community College, award winner Leslie Watson organized first aid training for faculty and staff at the college.

After decades in law enforcement and drug interdiction, Robert Anderson joined Northern Virginia Community College's adjunct faculty, developing and delivering courses on subjects ranging from border security to counterintelligence.

Robin Richards has tapped into her long career in health information management to benefit her students at Mountain Empire Community College, where she teaches Business and Information Technology.

Seven Excellence in Education Awards (EIE) were conferred this year, spotlighting college teams who developed innovative programs to address community needs.

In the category of Academic Innovation, Southside Virginia Community College was recognized for its weekend Associate Degree in Nursing program, which provides an alternative schedule for those whose work and lifestyle cannot accommodate a traditional higher ed format.

Mountain Empire Community College professor Bethany Arnold received an Excellence in Education award for effectively meeting the needs of struggling students by providing extra attention without loss of academic rigor. Arnold's EIE award cites Classroom Excellence in the service to students with extra needs.

A Classroom Excellence EIE award was presented to Northern Virginia Community College's Writing Ourselves In program, which has provided college-wide faculty professional development to boost student success by increasing students' sense of belonging at NOVA.

Piedmont Virginia Community College's nationally recognized Network2Work program was awarded an EIE honor in the Workplace Preparation category. PVCC Dean Ridge Schuyler directs the N2W program, which creates pathways to lift families out of poverty by training and placing participants in high demand positions.

In the category of Removing Barriers, Northern Virginia Community College created summer workshops to help students prepare and succeed in math courses. Ramp Up for Math earned an EIE award, serving hundreds of students so far over three summers.

For transforming the Roanoke region's higher ed landscape for 15 years through its Community College Access Program (CCAP), Virginia Western Community College was recognized with an EIE award for Removing Barriers. CCAP has provided more than $10 million in tuition assistance to more than 4,000 students.

In the Engaging Students category, Northern Virginia Community College's Community College Initiative (CCI) team was recognized for supporting students from other countries with language and other skill development. The CCI team at NOVA has collaborated with partner institutions and hosted more than 1,700 participants from 28 countries over the past 13 years.

You can view and download photos from the New Horizons Conference here.

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