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Prospective Students
Outstanding Faculty
COCC prides itself on the quality of our faculty. In transfer areas, half of the faculty members have earned their doctorates and our professional technical faculty are grounded in professional, real world experience. Add to such credentials the high performance standards that faculty meet—such as availability to students, innovation in instruction, continual professional development—and you will see why we believe that your access to these faculty members should be a prime factor in your decision to attend COCC.
Meet a few of our outstanding faculty members...
While working as a teaching assistant in graduate school, I discovered my love of teaching and decided to teach math as a career. Having attended a community college, I knew that it was the right place for me.
My primary focus is on developing understanding rather than procedure. I always try to answer a question with a question that might help direct a student’s thinking along a productive channel, which requires both knowledge of the subject matter and the student I am interacting with. I like to maintain a relaxed, casual and productive atmosphere in the classroom.
Here’s one of my favorite quotes: “Education means developing the mind, not stuffing the memory.” – Helen Gernon
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My interest in sociology was sparked when I started working with various nonprofit organizations in a metropolitan area. Through this work, I became increasingly curious about the interrelationships among individuals, groups, communities and society.
I especially enjoy teaching Introduction to Sociology. It is incredibly rewarding to be part of the process where students really become inquisitive about society and start asking important questions. The community college setting allows me to draw upon so many different lived experiences.
For all of the students I work with, it is an incredible honor to be involved in their lives as they move on their path toward knowledge and self-discovery.
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I believe that anyone can solve problems if the problems are identified appropriately and the questions are phrased well enough. I encourage the development of individuals who can find their own problems, pose their own probing questions and generate multiple solutions.
I believe that these skills will set the students up for a successful and ethical life of learning and growth. I strive to be a person who can teach these skills by providing appropriate ― and appropriately timed ― questions. Questions are the currency of teaching and learning.
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I like the variety of students here at COCC, as it fits with my own experiences of completing my college degree as a returning single parent, and being a first-generation college graduate in my family.
I try to be interactive in my classes while still imparting the most important points of information. Students often tell me I have a sense of humor that keeps them interested in the material.
The best part of teaching is seeing students' eyes light up when they "get it" and are completely engaged by the topic. In addition, I am always happy when I hear from former students who say I had a long-term impact on them, on their ability to think critically, on their later occupations, and so on. I recently heard from one of the first students I taught here 16 years ago who intended to become a secondary school teacher. He took my Psych classes and says he remembers the day I suggested he become a psychologist. He’s now a licensed counselor. That's the best aspect of teaching.
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Following the examples of some of the greatest educators in Western history such as Socrates, Aristotle and Cicero, discussion is the cornerstone of all my classes and is what makes them interesting, I hope. I love watching students who get excited about a topic, or who admit to having their long-held beliefs challenged. Also enjoyable are students who reach a personal goal — even in a course they’d love to skip. Best of all, though, and selfishly, I most enjoy it when the students teach me something.
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