Thursday, October 10, 2013

Educator and Staff Employee of the year selected for Gilbert Excellence Awards

Anthony Braaten and Greg Wojtovich were selected as the Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) Educator of the Year and CGCC Staff Employee of the Year for the 2013 Gilbert Community Excellence Awards. The awards will be presented during an awards ceremony on Friday, Nov. 8.

Anthony Braaten, CGCC Educator of the Year
CGCC communication faculty Anthony Braaten frequently talks about CGCC as a whole working for the benefit of students. He models this vision by passionately and consistently addressing the needs of students in and out of the classroom.

In the classroom, Anthony encourages innovation and excellence through his teaching style and active-learning instructional methods. One example is the Tunnel of Oppression, where students experience the hardships of racism in a very personal, dramatic way. “Anthony observes where students are struggling and creates activities around that,” said Kolton Orcutt, 2012-2013 student body president.

Out of the classroom, Anthony serves as a faculty advisor to students, facilitates orientation sessions and volunteers to assist students the first week of each semester. He participates in many college committees including faculty senate and the president’s executive council, and, as lead faculty for the communication department, hires and mentors adjunct faculty and schedules courses.

Anthony’s deep and meaningful engagement with the community also is connected back to the campus. Hundreds of students have participated in service-learning projects with the Chandler Gilbert YMCA, where Anthony is a long-term volunteer, most notably as a vibrant member of the YMCA board.

A door is opened for all students to be successful when they are exposed to Anthony's empathic, energetic and supportive teaching and personality.

Greg Wojtovich, CGCC Staff Employee of the Year
Greg Wojtovich is a program advisor in CGCC’s Career and Placement Services. In his role, Greg develops the future workforce by helping students determine their career goals and connecting them with college, university, industry or professional resources to help them realize their dreams.

However, Greg extends his responsibility much further. He stays informed about programs within the college and the Maricopa Country Community College District as well as workplace trends and employment community developments, willingly sharing the information with both employees and students. Greg serves as a club advisor, frequently volunteers for college initiatives and assists in making presentations to college and high school classes. If he sees a need or can help a student, he does not question whether or not it is his job but takes initiative to ensure the student gets what is needed to be successful.

Greg leads by example of hard work, dedication and a passion for students and the opportunities he can make available to them. He is a mentor, colleague and friend to many and, as he walks across campus, he hears numerous calls in greeting from staff, faculty and students. Truly Greg has the coyote spirit of CGCC.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.