Matt Hiser named Illinois Educators' Student of the Year

Parkland College alum to receive Haisman award at IEA-NEA annual assembly March 17

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IEA-NEA award winner Matt Hiser (r) and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin during recent visit to Washington D.C.

CHAMPAIGN, IL (03/15/2012)(readMedia)-- Parkland College alumnus Matt Hiser of Champaign recently won the Bob Haisman Student of the Year Award from the Illinois Educators Association-National Educators Association (IEA-NEA).

The award recognizes a student IEA member who has shown outstanding involvement in his/her local, state, and/or national association; achievement in his or her area of study; and efforts in promoting public education and the education major. Hiser is a senior education major at the University of Illinois. He will be receiving his award on Saturday, March 17 during the IEA-NEA's 158th Representative Assembly in Chicago.

The IEA Retired Council named the student award in honor of Bob Haisman, a past president of IEA. Members of the Retired Council review the nominations and pick the recipient. Haisman is expected to present the award to Hiser.

A former president of the Parkland Student Education Association (PCSEA, 2009-2010), Matt Hiser was IEA's student of the year for student organizations in 2010. He served as student delegate to the 2011 IEA Representative Assembly was later elected vice president of IEA's Student Program (IEA-SP). He also serves on the national NEA board.

PCSEA faculty advisor Charles Larenas, a Parkland associate professor in education, says he is not surprised by Hiser's accomplishment. "Matt is a tremendous asset to the profession. He will make an incredible teacher someday. In the meantime, he is out there working hard in support of future, present, and former teachers alike. It is students like Matt who go on to build a more accurate perception of teachers and teaching in our communities."

The PCSEA is the organization at Parkland College for students interested in becoming educators, started three years ago by former student Lisa Brooks of St. Joseph. The group was chosen as Parkland's 2010-2011 Organization of the Year by the Parkland College Office of Student Life, and Larenas was named advisor of the year at that time. In Illinois, more than 40 colleges and universities have local student education associations.