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Outstanding Divisional Faculty Members for 2012-2013

Eighteen faculty members at College of DuPage have been recognized as the 2012-2013 Outstanding Divisional Faculty Members at College of DuPage.

The faculty were selected for their excellence in teaching, service to the College, scholarly activities, community service and advising skills. Each will receive a monetary award from the College of DuPage Foundation.

The Outstanding Divisional Full-Time Faculty Members are Theodore Darden (Naperville), Associate Professor, Criminal Justice, Health and Sciences Division; Joyce Fletcher (Wheaton), Counselor/Professor, Counseling and Advising, Student Affairs; Richard Jarman, Ph.D. (Glen Ellyn), Professor, Chemistry, Health and Sciences Division; Gerald Krusinski (Palatine), Professor, Mathematics, Health and Sciences Division; Marina Kuchinski (Wheaton), Professor, Art, Liberal Arts Division; Michael Losacco (West Chicago), Professor, Computer Information Systems, Business and Technology Division; Jackie McGrath, Ph.D. (Wheaton), Professor, English, Liberal Arts Division; Jane Murtaugh (St. Charles), Professor, Business/ Marketing/ Management, Business and Technology Division; and Kent Richter, Ph.D. (Lombard), Professor, Philosophy/Religious Studies, Liberal Arts Division.

The Outstanding Divisional Part-Time Faculty Members are Elizabeth Anderson (Woodridge), English, Liberal Arts Division; Kim Crosby (Aurora), Nursing, Health and Sciences Division; Bonniejean Hinde (Wheaton), Sociology, Health and Sciences Division; Linda Jenkins (Wheaton), Paralegal, Business and Technology Division; Peter Kanetis (Elmhurst), Religious Studies, Liberal Arts Division; Chris Kardaras (Lisle), Mathematics, Health and Sciences Division; Elizabeth Murphy (Wheaton), Music, Liberal Arts Division; Patricia Snyder (Wheaton), Catalog Librarian, Learning Resources Division; and Craig Waldvogel (Naperville), Electronics, Business and Technology Division.

Outstanding Divisional Full-Time Faculty Members

Darden has served as coordinator for the Criminal Justice program and was actively involved in the plans for the Homeland Security Education Center, the 3+1 agreement in Criminal/Social Justice between COD and Lewis University, and the development of four certificates and the Homeland Security associate's degree. He also has earned professional certifications in Disaster Management and Homeland Security.

Fletcher has made many contributions to the programming of new student-focused efforts and collaborated on college-wide initiatives. She projects a collegial attitude within the discipline and throughout the COD community.

Jarman has helped students find research internships at such prestigious institutions as Argonne National Laboratories and Northwestern University. For his work involving students in the Green Fuels depot project with Packard Engineering and the city of Naperville, Jarman received the American Chemical Society's Committee on Environmental Improvement Award for Incorporating Sustainability into Chemistry Education.

Krusinski was instrumental in the development of the Math Assistance Area, the Center for Independent Learning and the Natural Sciences exhibit in the Library. He has been involved in the growth of online math course offerings and recently gave a presentation in which he encouraged his math colleagues in the use of classroom technologies. He was elected by his peers to serve as the voluntary chair-elect for the math faculty committee.

Kuchinski has redirected the Ceramics curriculum to be an aesthetically and professionally focused educational experience. She was central to the redesign of the Ceramics studio in 2006, which is now considered a model learning facility. Kuchinski played a central role in the management of the Wings Student Art Gallery and in the construction of the new student gallery in the Student Services Center.

In the classroom, Losacco was an early advocate of alternative delivery strategies and contemporary learning environments. He is a key curriculum developer of web development-related courses for students, the Teaching and Learning Center and applications across campus. He currently serves as the webmaster for the faculty association, has served as coordinator of the Computer Information Systems program and works diligently as a program advisor.

McGrath was one of the original members of the Composition Steering Committee. She served on the Creative Writing Committee and helped coordinate the Writers Read Series. For three years, she was advisor to the Prairie Light Review and oversaw its publication. She also chaired the Liberal Arts Division Curriculum Committee, co-chaired the Native American Studies Committee and has been an active participant in faculty governance.

Murtaugh is the lead instructor for the Human Resource Management course that requires significant research and preparation with each new offering. She finds creative ways to make sure that textbook purchases truly support overall learning, and if students can't afford the text, she makes copies available on reserve in the COD Library. She is a leader in developing online courses and in supporting both full-time and part-time faculty who want to teach online.

Richter teaches a wide range of courses from Introduction to Philosophy and World Religion to Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Asian Thought. He helped to successfully develop several grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and is currently a member of a COD faculty team participating on an NEH grant at the Newberry Library in Chicago about Religious Pluralism.

Outstanding Divisional Part-Time Faculty Members

Anderson has taught a wide variety of English courses, from first-year composition to specialized literature offerings. She has adapted her instruction to encompass the varied learning styles of students, including enrollees in the Adult Fast Track and Dual Credit programs.

Crosby has been instrumental in revising the Nursing Assistant program handbook and the program's tests. She recently was appointed to serve on the new Leadership Council of the Graduate Nursing Student Academy.

Hinde has represented COD at Poplar Creek Library's annual training and created a blog to discuss social justice issues. She encouraged students from her Honors course, Sexual Relationships, Marriage and Family, to staff a table at the annual Domestic Violence Awareness Fair.

Jenkins is the faculty advisor for the College's Paralegal Club, which recently earned the 2013 “Club of the Year” designation. She coordinates guest speakers at club meetings, helps the group plan fundraising activities and group events, and leads field trips to the DuPage County Courthouse. She is also involved with the newly formed LEX Paralegal Honor Society.

Kanetis has demonstrated his dedication to teaching excellence by actively seeking out ways to further his expertise on teaching strategies to improve his performance in the classroom and to holistically develop his students.

Kardaras is dedicated to student success and has a knack for making math both fun and meaningful. He is an energetic and dynamic participant in departmental work and is an active contributor during math faculty meetings.

Murphy has demonstrated expertise and enthusiasm as a classroom teacher and applied voice instructor since 2005. She is a champion for fine arts music and helps students find the joy in musical styles that are completely new to them.

Snyder uses her reference experience to craft quality bibliographic records for the Library Catalog, keeping the needs of users in mind. She was a strong contributor in weeding more than 23,000 items from the Library's collections in preparation for the Library renovation project.

Waldvogel has been an instructor in the electronics program for more than 30 years. He was instrumental in curriculum development and implementation of the Renewable Energy certificate and has worked on National Science Foundation grant projects.

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