Matthew Hurt of Savoy wins national teaching award

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CHAMPAIGN, IL (12/07/2011)(readMedia)-- Parkland College Associate Professor Matthew Hurt recently won the 2012 National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development's (NISOD) Teaching Excellence Award for Parkland College. The award is given annually to a faculty member whose dedication to teaching and leadership excellence is evident by effectiveness in the classroom.

Selected by the Faculty Professional Development Committee at Parkland in late November, Dr. Hurt will receive $1,000 for professional development, a plaque, and award recognition during the annual NISOD conference at Austin, Texas, in May 2012.

As a dedicated English professor, Dr. Hurt is committed to "shaping students into lifelong learners by empowering them as critical thinkers, readers, and writers," according to his teaching philosophy. He said he believes students must see their teachers as "engaged thinkers and learners, not only in relation to the specific content of the class, but to ideas and interests that lie, strictly speaking, beyond the bounds of the immediate curriculum."

Dr. Hurt is also well-respected by his colleagues as a gifted teacher, scholar, and leader who is focused on the needs of students, his department, and the college at large. Dr. Amy Penne, a colleague, shares that Dr. Hurt's assignments "helped students progress through some challenging material, but with the very clear outcome of engaging students through the writing process to think more deeply about their understanding of 'political, social, and behavioral issues and ideas' as outlined in Parkland's General Education objectives."

Outside of the classroom, Dr. Hurt serves as chair of the Parkland College Literature Assessment Committee, as coordinator of the Literature Program, and as a member of the College Planning Committee. He is vice-president of the Parkland College Association and chair of its Policy and Procedures Manual Committee.

NISOD was established by the Community College Leadership Program (CCLP) in the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Texas at Austin.