Wilson Community College recently named its 2023 Faculty and Staff Persons of the Year. And we cannot think of anyone more deserving than our recipients.
The Excellence in Teaching Award – or more informally known as Faculty Person of the Year – was awarded to Joshua Stevens, Applied Engineering Instructor. Angela Herring, Director of Instructional Support Services, was named the WCC Staff Person of the Year.
Each year, the State Board of Community Colleges presents a series of awards, honoring community college employees. The Excellence in Teaching Award, sponsored by R.J. Reynolds, provides statewide recognition of faculty members who exemplify the highest quality and standards of instruction throughout the NC Community College System. The Staff of the Year Award, sponsored by Truist, recognizes performance and commitment to the community college mission by the non-teaching staff of the 58 institutions. And every year, when WCC selects the recipients, their names are then sent on to the NC Community Colleges system office to compete in the running for state-level faculty or staff person of the year.
Awardees are chosen by their peers. It was no surprise to any of us at the College that Mr. Joshua Stevens, Applied Engineering Technology instructor, and Ms. Angela Herring, Director of Instructional Support Services, were selected.
Mr. Stevens has been with the College for about five years. He has truly evolved into a multifaceted instructor. He has worked hard to build his program, mentor his students, and truly make a difference.
In fact, Mr. Stevens was awarded the President’s Award for Innovation in 2019. This award is given each year by WCC President Tim Wright to honor faculty and staff who go above and beyond the normal expectations to contribute to the success of students and the College. That year, the College needed a PLC trainer for our Applied Engineering program, and Mr. Stevens led his students to build their own out of spare parts, saving us almost $6,000. Working with the College’s welding instructor, he diagnosed and repaired the shear machine outside of normal work hours, saving the College at least $5,000 and possibly as much as $67,000. He has also been recognized for his groundbreaking work in the field of engineering and medicine from the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. Mr. Stevens worked on a team that developed a 3D print of a patient’s rib cage, allowing doctors to perform life-changing surgery for patients. And he received the innovation award for NC3ADL for creating a distance learning environment in his applied engineering program.
Angela Herring joined Wilson Community College a little more than twenty years ago as a faculty member. Over that time, the College has benefitted from the numerous roles she has served – initially as an instructor, then as Director of Distance Education, and now in her current role as Director of Instructional Support Services. In each role, her dedication and commitment to excellence are unparalleled. Not the least, which includes long hours addressing student, faculty, and staff needs for online learning, professional development opportunities, learning management system technology needs, and a stellar interactive, accessible website.
Ms. Herring juggles all these responsibilities in a way that makes it seem easy. WCC has modernized in every way in large part due to her devotion, and she has made it easier to access our services to potential students and employees. This was particularly notable during the pandemic when multiple resources needed to be organized on our website to assist faculty, staff, and students.
We are so proud of both of them, and all of our employees too. To us, they are family, and they’re what makes your community college so strong.
For more information about WCC, give us a call at (252) 291-1195 or visit our website at www.wilsoncc.edu. #WilsonCC We make Wilson work.
What’s Happening
- November 7 – Registration Opens for Winter and Spring semesters
- November 10 – Scholarship Awards Luncheon
- November 17 – Red Cross Blood Drive