Roane State faculty earn honors
A Roane State Community College associate professor and an adjunct English professor have been honored for their work.
Associate professor of biology Jala Daniel received the college’s 2018 Sarah Ellen Benroth Award for Outstanding Teaching.
Adjunct English professor Roger Finn received the Clyde James (Jim) Dunigan Adjunct Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence.
John and Betty Sisk established an endowment 25 years ago in memory of her mother, Sarah Ellen Benroth. Mrs. Benroth was a teacher and school principal who encouraged her children and others around her to strive for excellence. The Roane State Foundation awards the proceeds from this fund each year to an outstanding faculty member.
Benroth award nominees and recipients are selected by their peers.
The 2018 nominees were radiologic technology program director Julie Hall, Daniel, and English professor Peggy Hilliard. In addition to the monetary award presented to Benroth recipients, the endowment also provides funding for them to attend the annual Great Teachers’ Seminar in Hawaii.
The adjunct faculty award is named in honor of the late Jim Dunigan, who taught for several years at Roane State; most of the time as a volunteer with no pay.
Finn, who teaches at the college’s Cumberland and Morgan campuses, was the nominee for the Humanities Department.
There were also nominations – made by department chairs, program directors or division deans – from the health sciences, mathematics and sciences and social sciences, and business and education departments.
According to guidelines, the award recognizes consistently superior teaching, comprehensive knowledge and an interest in fostering the intellectual growth of each student.
In addition to the award, Finn also received $250.