2009 Hayward Award Winners

Area A: Elizabeth Waterbury of Shasta College

Elizabeth Waterbury, an instructor of Vocal and Choral Music, brought years of teaching experience with her to Shasta College. Since taking her post, she has inspired numerous students to continue their education while pursuing their passion of music. She conducts five choirs (Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, Jazz Choir, Community Chorale and Women's Ensemble) and was instrumental in founding the Latin American Music festival in 2003 along with another faculty member. Waterbury herself indicates that through her years of teaching a diverse student population, she has learned how important education is in building a balanced, thriving society. In addition to her campus activities, Waterbury also conducts numerous musical workshops and co-directs the community opera. In short, she has devoted her live to improving the quality of the lives of her students and her community through music, be that helping put on a performance or teaching people how to perform, she is always contributing. Her caring instruction is born of her passion for music as well as her passion to see her students succeed. The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is proud to recognize Elizabeth Waterbury as a 2009 Hayward Award winner. When discussing her relationship with her students, Waterbury said, They credit me with giving them that first vision of how fascinating and rewarding life in music might be. I credit them with showing me how rewarding life as an educator might be.

Area B: Andrew Fraknoi of Foothill College

Andrew Fraknoi is an Astronomy instructor at Foothill College who has spent his career improving the accessibility of Astronomy (and other sciences) to all students attending Foothill College - right down to community members. Fraknoi helped found the Astronomy Lecture Series ten years ago which is the most popular public event on campus which frequently draws hundreds from the surrounding community who come to learn new and interesting developments in astronomy. He's even been able to secure support for this lecture series from such institutions as the NASA Ames Research Center, the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. When Fraknoi is in the classroom, he strives to use everyday language and context to keep astronomy approachable and help his students engage with the content, something he is so committed to he can even be found doing a moon-revolution or pulsar-beam dances in front of his class to help his students understand the concepts he is presenting. Andrew Fraknoi's commitment and contributions to his students and his campus have caused the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges to select him as a 2009 Hayward Award winner. I believe that an understanding of our place in the wider universe and the methods of science are part of the birthright of everyone living on our planet...My philosophy is to show students that science is engaging, human, and part of our cultural heritage, Fraknoi said.

Area C: Christos Valiotis of Antelope Valley College

Christos Valiotis, a Physics instructor at Antelope Valley College, is the president-elect for his campus's Academic Senate. His passion for helping his students succeed caused him to completely revise the physics and physical science programs at Antelope Valley College, and ultimately led him to successfully apply for grants from Title V, the National Science Foundation, Hewlett-Packard, NASA, and Boeing, bringing millions of dollars to his college to directly impact the quality of education its students receive. Additionally, Valiotis believes that students' preparation for postsecondary school science and mathematics can be vastly enhanced through improved math/science teacher education, and has spent time teaching summer workshops to math/science teachers. Valiotis also assumed the Student Learning Outcome (SLO) Committee chairing duties when it was critical to demonstrate success in the area of SLOs, and as a direct result of his leadership, his college has made huge strides in SLO improvement, and was even named as a model of how to complete the newly required annual SLO report at an accreditation training session for two year and four year institutions. It is for these reasons and many others that the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is proud to confer the 2009 Hayward Award on Christos Valiotis. I believe that students can reach heights they never dreamed of if they are encouraged to challenge themselves. I can help them accomplish that by promoting collaborative learning of challenging subject matter, and by designing learning activities that are both hands-on and minds-on, Valiotis said.

Area D: Stephanie Dumont of Golden West College

A counselor at Golden West College, Stephanie Dumont has shown tireless dedication to the students she works with her use of comprehensive counseling. She ensures that the students' needs are always first and elicit empowerment and self-actualization through positively impacting a student's sense of self-worth as well as their concepts of self-responsibility and success. Dumont responds to those around her with sensitivity and empathy for difficulties in other people's lives while tactfully challenging them to continue pursing their goals - educational or otherwise. She takes a genuine interest in each student's well being, and uses a proactive counseling style to help students eliminate attitudes that will impede them and overcome self-defeating behaviors. Additionally, Dumont has served as Golden West College's Academic Senate President for three years and has served on a number of statewide committees. She has authored and co-authored a number of professional articles and has made numerous presentations on how to effectively counsel students throughout the state. Stephanie Dumont truly embodies what it means to be an exemplary faculty member, and the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is proud to confer the 2009 Hayward Award on her. My calling is to serve. It is my believe that successful student service begins by striking the delicate balance between providing students with the necessary comprehensive support and the duty to model and teach self-responsibility, Dumont said.