Moderated by Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Heather Maldonado, Keuka College’s STAR Faculty panel on Oct. 14 featured three recipients of this semester’s Faculty Development Committee awards: Assistant Professor of Adolescent Education Dr. Gordon Brown, Instructor of Biology Jessica Katolik, and Instructor of Social Work Tracy Leet.
Dr. Kara Roop Miheretu, assistant professor of early childhood education and chair of the Faculty Development Committee, said student voices are a vital part of the awards process.
In nominating Dr. Gordon Brown for the Academic Advising Award, one student wrote, “His kindness and care for each and every student is unmatched.” Another said, “He never makes your conversation feel rushed.”
“You’re not stuck in whatever you might think you’re stuck in.”
During the STAR Faculty Panel, Dr. Maldonado asked the panelists what they think every Keuka College graduate should know. In his response, Dr. Brown emphasized that people can always change direction, describing his own nonlinear path to success: getting kicked out of college, going back home to coach his high school football team, and returning to his studies with a renewed passion for the praxis of education.
Dr. Miheretu said Jessica Katolik’s Excellence in Experiential Learning Award recognizes her work with the Keuka College Human Skeletal Remains Collection and her dedication to expanding hands-on research opportunities for undergraduate students.
“How you do something matters as much as what you do.”
Responding to a panel question about teaching ethical responsibility, Prof. Katolik described her lab’s commitment to caring for human remains with dignity and respect.
“Just as there are first responders to a traumatic event, we are the last responders,” she said, noting that much of her and her students’ work aims to restore the identity of individuals whose stories have been lost to time.
Tracey Leet received the Excellence in Academic Achievement Award for her recent research on adult survivors of child abuse.
“She consistently produces high-quality scholarship that makes a real difference,” said Dr. Miheretu.
“Know your value – not by comparing yourself to others, but by knowing who you really are.”
As a STAR Faculty panelist, Prof. Leet spoke about the importance of self-efficacy – especially in a field like social work, where practitioners’ personal histories often show up in their work.
“Plus,” she pointed out, “We’re in the age of social media, and it’s so easy to compare vacations, compare grades – all of that can cause students to flounder in their sense of self-worth.”
Prof. Leet also underscored the value of self-care: “Adults have to play,” she said, in addition to working hard toward their professional goals.
Jack Westbrook, instructor of mathematics and winner of this term’s Excellence in Teaching Award, was unavailable to participate in the panel due to – fittingly – a prior teaching commitment.
One nominee wrote of Prof. Westbrook, “His teaching style gets you engaged, and he is always willing to provide extra support.”
