2011 Innovation of the Year Award Winners

Author: 
League for Innovation
May
2011
Volume: 
6
Number: 
5
Innovation Showcase

Established in 1982, the League's Innovation of the Year Award was initiated to recognize innovations that reflect extraordinary achievement and the spirit of innovation and experimentation upon which the League was founded. The award provides an opportunity to showcase the innovations and the dedicated community college educators who are working to create new programs, improve processes, and enhance the opportunities available in their communities.

Criteria

Selection of award recipients is based on the following criteria established by the League:

  • Quality. Students and/or staff agree that the innovation increases quality in the course, program, office, or institution.
  • Efficiency. The innovation contributes to more efficient processes.
  • Cost Effectiveness. The innovation adds value to the institution while containing or reducing costs.
  • Replication. The innovation is easy to replicate at other institutions.
  • Creativity. The innovation is original and creative.
  • Timeliness. The innovation is not more than five years old in the institution, allowing plenty of time for it to be tested.

Nomination

To begin the nomination process, each college announces the Innovation of the Year award competition at its institution. The individual college forms a local committee to establish college-specific criteria and select the college?s award winner. The League encourages participating colleges to seek nominations from all areas of the college, including full- and part-time faculty, student services staff, administrators, and support personnel. The award celebrates the innovation as well as those who designed and implemented it; therefore, a single nomination will include both the innovation and the people who developed it.

Selection

Each participating college determines the selection process it will use and follows that process to select its Innovation of the Year award recipient. The college shares information about the winning innovation with the League office, including a brief description of the innovation and the names, job titles, and a photograph of the personnel who developed the innovation. The League presents an Innovation of the Year award to each participating college?s winning innovation.

Honoring Local Award Recipients

Participating colleges have a variety of ways to celebrate their local winners and further emphasize the value of innovation in community college education. Some colleges plan special award ceremonies, recognition programs, receptions, or dinners to honor and celebrate their award recipients. A number of colleges provide each member of the winning team with funding to attend a League conference. Participating colleges often issue news releases announcing the selection, and some publish pamphlets or booklets featuring the winning innovation.

2011 Innovation of the Year Award Winners

In 2011, 54 awards were granted in eight categories: (1) workforce preparation and development; (2) learning and teaching; (3) student services and activities; (4) research, assessment, and accountability; (5) resource development; (6) basic skills and developmental education; and (7) leadership and organization. To learn more about the competition and how your college can participate, visit the Innovation of the Year Award Web page.

Anne Arundel Community College, Student Success Summit, Martha A. Smith 

Baton Rouge Community College, BRCC Data Summit: Using Data to Illustrate the Interconnectivity of Faculty and Staff, Ann Zanders and Shana Corvers 

Bridgemont Community and Technical College, Blasting Technology AAS Program, Matt Earnest, Earl Waytowich, and Brian Wingfield 

Calhoun Community College, Dual Enrollment Emergency Medical Technician Training Program, Mark Branon 

Central Community College, Dawson County Nursing Opportunities Project, Deb Brennan, Marcie Kemnitz, Charlotte Pasco, Susan Oliver, Linda Wiltrout, Michelle Setlik, Marni Nelson-Snyder, and Jeanette Vincent-Osman 

Central Lakes College, Renewable Energy Crop Production, DelRay Lecy, Robert Schafer, Rebecca Best, Ron Nelson, and Shelly Johnson

Central Wyoming College, Rural Justice Training Center at Central Wyoming College, Jeff Hosking, Mark Stone, and Eric Heiser 

Century College, Bridge to Success Program, Century College Faculty and Staff 

Clark State Community College, Innovative Internships in Cyber-Security, Dan J. Heighton 

Community College of Allegheny County, Computerized Testing Incorporating Blackboard Instructional Technology, Stephen W. Bannister, Norman L. Johnson, and Carol Stokes

Community College of Baltimore County, Towson University Freshman Transition Program, Ann Gamble 

Community College of Philadelphia, Center for Male Engagement, Michael Robinson, Daryl Bright, Jack Drummond, Kevin Covington, and William Dunbar

Cuyahoga Community College, 5/5/5 Combination Course, Heather Snell-Masterson

Delta College, Academic Service Learning at Delta College, Karen Wilson, Teresa Stitt, Michelle White, and Nancy Vader-McCormick 

El Paso Community College, Math Emporiums for Developmental Education Students, Lucy Michal, Edith Aguirre, Ivette Chuca, Lisa Juliano, and Dianna Orrantia

Fanshawe College, Community Consultancy Program, Rhonda Payne 

Foothill College, Innovative Strategies for Community College Mental Health,  in CaliforniaMelanie Hale 

Gateway Community and Technical College, The Development of an International Training and Certification Program, Thomas Collins, Anthony Clarke, and Yvonne Meichtry 

Grand Rapids Community College, Composite Technician Training, Julie Parks, Mary Hofstra, Paul Dickensheets, and Steve Busch 

Greenville Technical College, Outdoor Living and Learning Lab, Lee Edwards and Kathy Ferrell 

Henry Ford Community, Political Issues Convention, Henry Bowers, Anthony Perry, Eric Rader, and Cynthia Stiller 

Hillsborough Community College, Online Library Orientations, Kristin Heathcock and Jeremy Bullian 

Hocking College, DAAP Team, George Petrovay, Rick McChristian, Rebecca Johnson, and Guy Taylor 

Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, Growing Opportunities, Leonhard Lechner and Melanie Sifton 

Indian River State College, Innovation of the Year: Indian River State College Tutoring Lab, Henri Sue Bynum, Marta Cronin, Kelly Amatucci, Mindy Pollock, and Adam Carroll 

Institute of Technical Education, Singapore, Alternative Energy & Fuel-Efficient Eco-Friendly Cars, Cheong Kam Weng, Lim Chin Khiong, Chew Yong Hui, Chua Sing Ming, Enoch Choon Zeh Kwong, Cheong Fook Loy, Tay Kwee Huat, Yuen Soon Seng, Syed Mustaffa Kamal Din, Lim Yam Meng, Tay Teng Koon, Alfred Tan Wee Hion, and Gregory Lim Sin Chye 

Johnson County Community College, Kansas Studies Institute, James Leiker 

Lake-Sumter Community College, General Education Assessment, Gary Sligh and Jane Scott 

Lane Community College, Sustainability Coordinator AAS Degree, Margaret Robertson, Jennifer Hayward, Susie Cousar, and Claudia Owen 

Leeward Community College, Language Conversation Groups, Beth Kupper-Herr 

Miami Dade College, Hialeah Campus, The Virtual-Coach System Advances Student Success, Maria I. Garcia, Rene Garcia, Aneisah Castro, Jean Alcime, Corrinne Lockamy, and Ivonne Cruz 

Minnesota State Community and Technical College, Multi Campus Telephony, Dave Overby

Monroe Community College, Safe Zone Project, Don Beech, Marlene Fine, Bess Watts, and Julie White

Montgomery County Community College, Minority Male Mentoring Program, Steady Moono, Leonard Bass, and Michael Jackson 

Moraine Valley Community College, Dreamkeepers Emergency Financial Assistance Program, Laurie Anema, Sue Linn, and Joann Wright 

North Arkansas College, Career Pathways Initiative, North Arkansas College, Career Pathways Initiative Employment Skills Conference 

North Hennepin Community College, College Prep Program, Terry Jaakkola and Mary Klis 

Onondaga Community College, Campus Emergency Broadcast System, Fred Carpenter and Douglas Kinney 

Ozarks Technical Community College, Why all the Information? Orienting Students to Campus, Hal Higdon, Cliff Davis, Joan Barrett, Joel Doepker, and Jeff Johnson 

Paradise Valley Community College, Puma Athletic Web System (PAWS), Sam Fraulino, Paul Golisch, Todd Lehman, George Mathew, Carol Myers, Brad Olsen, Jason Pociask, David Preston, Greg Silcox, Marc Varner, and Corey Weidner 

Highlands Community College, Connecting Education with Economic Development through Career Pathways, Chris Mahla 

Pitt Community College, Financial Aid Probation Intervention, Happy Gingras and Jasmin Spain 

Queensborough Community College, The Student Wiki Interdisciplinary Group, Jean Darcy 

Red River College, Red River College Reporting Website, Chris Kwasniowski and Clayton Rumley 

Salt Lake Community College, SLCC One-Stop Veterans Center, Darlene Goldman Head, Eric Weber, and Jim Kopeky 

San Diego Mesa College, San Diego Mesa College African American/Latino Male Leadership Summit, Joi Blake, Genevieve Esguerra, Star Rivera-Lacey, and Pedro Noguera 

Seattle Community Colleges, Helping displaced workers to "Start Next Quarte", John Bowers, Janice Brooks, Mary Lockman, Keith Marler, Wendy Price, and Nancy Verheyden 

Sinclair Community College, Adjunct Faculty Certification Course, Katherine Rowell, Kent Zimmerman, Sally Struthers, Lalitha Locker, Heidi Arnold, and Phyllis Williams

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, The Weekly Albertan: Producing a newspaper through student collaboration, Brenda Klassen, Willem Sijpheer, Tyler Nagel, Kevin Udahl, Peter Masch, Jim Cunningham, and Jim Drever 

Southwest WI Technical College, Southwest Academy for 21st Century Excellence,, Julie Pluemer 

St. Louis Community College at Meramec,Adjunct Faculty Support Reading Program, Christine Padberg

Wallace State Community College, Common Read Experience, Mary Barnes, Beth Johnson, Lauren Cantrell, Clay Cobb, Leigh Ann Courington, Mona Hopper, Gayle Ledbetter, Susan O'Rear, Whit Rice, Mike Salerno, Courtney Walker, and  Sally Warren 

York Technical College, Advising Course, Laura Sturgis