|
MATC
Faculty Members Receive
Distinguished Teacher Awards
The Madison
Area Technical College (MATC) Foundation will honor three faculty members
during the college’s spring commencement ceremony on May 17. English
instructor Sonja Hansard-Weiner, Spanish instructor Jo Ann (Jody) Thrush
and accounting/business instructor Mark Finger will each receive the Distinguished
Teacher Award for 2003.
Sonja
Hansard-Weiner of Madison joined the MATC faculty in 1978 and teaches
English composition, creative writing and literature courses. She will
receive an MFA degree from the University of New Orleans/Prague in theatre
and communications arts/poetry this month and holds a PhD in English Literature
and Linguistics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, an MA in
English from the University of Texas–El Paso and an undergraduate
degree in English and French from the University of St. Thomas in Houston.
Hansard-Weiner
has been the advisor for MATC’s literary journal, Yahara Journal,
since 2001 and has taken students to Paris, Venice, Florence and Rome
through her “Writing in Place” course, a journaling course incorporating
student travel abroad. She also has been instrumental in establishing
a Writing Center for students on MATC’s Downtown campus.
“Sonja
Hansard-Weiner loves her job and literature and passes that passion on
to her students,” says one student nominator. “She reads to
us in a very expressive way that makes the literature come alive. The
works we’ve studied have become a part of me.”
Jo
Ann (Jody) Thrush of Madison joined the foreign languages faculty
at MATC in 1985 after teaching in the Adult Continuing Education program
since 1977. Bringing with her years of experience teaching Spanish and
French and coordinating foreign language education for the Monona Grove
Public Schools, Thrush teaches Spanish to students at all levels at MATC.
She has PhD and MS degrees from the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s
Department of Educational Administration as well as certification as a
secondary school principal. Also from UW–Madison, she has a MA in
Spanish and Portuguese and a BS in education.
In addition
to serving as a Foreign Language Lead Teacher and coordinator of the Spanish
department at MATC, Thrush is a guiding force on the college’s Vanguard
Underprepared Student Project, which supports student success throughout
the college. She also has worked to improve Spanish language instruction,
and to bring technology into the language classroom.
One nominator
said about Thrush, “Her goal is to help students learn Spanish in
a non-threatening but stimulating community of learners. She loves teaching
and is a gifted teacher. She gives that gift to students over and over
again every semester.”
Mark
Finger of Madison started at MATC in 1986 and teaches accounting and
business-related courses. In addition to graduate study at the University
of Wisconsin–Madison, Finger has earned a masters degree from the
School of Business Administration at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater,
and an undergraduate degree in business education with an emphasis on
accounting also from UW-Whitewater.
An honorary
life member of the Business Professionals of America (BPA), Finger is
the advisor for MATC’s chapter of BPA. Instrumental in the development
of academic advising in his department, he serves as the program coordinator
for the Accounting Assistant Program. Students praise him for going the
extra mile to help them through challenging material and for his willingness
to try alternative delivery methods and approaches to teaching.
About
Finger, one nominator said, “As a teacher, Mark is extremely knowledgeable
and organized, sensitive to the needs of each student, and an excellent
communicator and mentor. He devotes whatever time is needed, both inside
and outside of class, to help students achieve their educational objectives.”
MATC
is one of the largest of the Wisconsin Technical College System’s
16 colleges and serves approximately 50,000 individuals annually. It provides
a comprehensive curriculum of technical, liberal arts and science, adult
basic education and life enrichment studies and activities, as well as
customized employee training. MATC provides training in more than 100
career programs. It awards associate degrees, vocational diplomas and
certificates, and offers non-degree courses. The college serves all or
parts of 12 counties located in south-central Wisconsin and offers instruction
through five campuses and various other locations throughout the district.
###
Last
Modified:
May 15, 2003
top
|
