Spartanburg Community College Announces Educators of the Year Award Recipients

SPARTANBURG, SC – January 20, 2012 – Spartanburg Community College has chosen four exemplary faculty and staff members to receive South Carolina Technical Education Association (SCTEA) awards. Each year, SCC’s faculty and staff submit nominations for colleagues who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence and dedication to the College.  


The following recipients were chosen for 2012:
 
SCTEA Educators of the Year Awards   

• Administrator Award – Alison Cann, director of the Academic Advising Center   
• Faculty Award – Matthew Alimagham, instructor for Computer Technology    
• Staff Award – Billy Duncan, support specialist for The Learning Center

A. Wade Martin “Innovator of the Year” Award

• June. M. West, program director for Computer Technology

“These outstanding individuals have made great contributions to SCC,” said Dr. Para M. Jones, SCC president. “It’s people like Alison, Matthew, Billy and June who help to uphold the College’s standards of excellence, in and out of the classroom. We are grateful for their continuous commitment to education, their dedication to SCC students and the shining examples they set for others at SCC and in our community.”

Alison Cann was hired in June of 2000 to open and run SCC’s Academic Advising Center, which is responsible for facilitating student success through academic advisement and training. Under her leadership, the Center expanded its staff and services and has gone from initially serving 344 students in the first year to currently serving almost 4,000 students. “Alison maintains a high standard of excellence for the department and uses student feedback for continuous improvement of services. Throughout the 11 years the Center has been in operation, the Center has continuously received excellent customer service ratings and is known to be a “best practice” within the South Carolina Technical Education system,” wrote Cann’s nominator.
 
As a support specialist for SCC’s The Learning Center (TLC), Billy Duncan serves as the lead computer tutor and is known for providing high-quality and friendly customer service to thousands of SCC students since he joined the SCC staff in 2005. “He goes above and beyond to work closely with instructors to proactively anticipate their students’ needs. He serves as a model to the other part-time computer tutors, providing training and advice. Billy has spearheaded the TLC’s efforts to provide remote tutoring services to better reach off-campus students, and he continues to work closely with the TLC director to plan and support the department’s goals and mission,” explained Duncan’s nominator. “His key strengths and success lie with his enthusiasm, genuine friendliness and professionalism. He is an exemplary staff member of the College.”
 
Matthew Alimagham was hired in July 2002 as a full-time faculty member for SCC’s Computer Technology Program. With 10 years of programming experience with Boeing, Alimagham is credited with advancing the program to the most updated and upgraded status. Almagham’s motto is, “Students come first,” and his nominator wrote, ”Matt does an outstanding job leading his students…He teaches with such enthusiasm that students notice it and admire it. He uses his real world experience to prepare students for real-world challenges.”

SCC’s Computer Technology Director, June West, was nominated for the Innovator of the Year Award by SCC President Dr. Para M. Jones for leading the innovative Free PC Repair Clinic and PC Repair Express programs. These clinics provide SCC students with valuable hands-on experience solving computer problems as a free service to community residents. As volunteers, the computer technology students gain real-world experience needed to land jobs in the IT profession while also filling a need for computer services in Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union counties. “To the best of our knowledge, this service-learning project is the only one of its kind in the SC Technical and Community College System, in SC, and possibly in the US,” Dr. Jones wrote in West’s nomination. “SCC is very proud of these unique programs and what they provide the students, the College and the community. June West is a caring and innovative leader dedicated not only to her students, but also to the entire SCC constituency.” West joined the SCC faculty in 1996.

Award recipients will be recognized at the 2012 annual SCTEA conference in February in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The SCTEA was organized in 1974 to offer enrichment and professional development for individuals working in state institutions for technical education.

Registration for spring 2012 classes is going on now. Individuals interested in applying to the College can contact the SCC Admissions Center at (864) 592-4800 or toll free (866) 591-3700 or apply online at www.sccsc.edu. For a complete listing of fall class schedule offerings, visit www.sccsc.edu/academics/search.aspx.
 

For more information about SCTEA visit www.sctea.org.