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| For Release: IMMEDIATE | Contact: Public Affairs |
| Date: November 22, 1999 |
COMMUNITY COLLEGE INSTRUCTOR HONORED WITH EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARD
RALEIGH – Althea A. Riddick, an assistant professor in the Business Information Technology Department at the College of the Albemarle (COA) in Elizabeth City, was honored on November 19th with the Excellence in Teaching Award (EIT).
The EIT is the highest honor for full-time teachers in the North Carolina Community College System. The award goes to the instructor who demonstrates the highest standards of instruction and professionalism in the classroom and who consistently demonstrates excellence of service to their college and community. The EIT, which is sponsored annually by the State Board of Community Colleges and the First Union Foundation, was presented at the Day of Recognition luncheon ceremony at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Convention Center.
Ms. Riddick, who also serves as the Coordinator of the Office Systems Technology Program, is a community college graduate. She obtained an Associate in Applied Science Degree from COA in 1991 and a B.S. in Basic Business Education and Psychology from Elizabeth City State University in 1994. She received her M.S. in Vocational Education from East Carolina University in 1996. She began teaching at COA in 1996.
Riddick’s peers praise her excellence and high standards. Wilma Harris, COA Vice President, Academic Affairs, said "She is innovative in her approaches to learning and is always looking for ways to make learning more exciting. Students always learn so much from her. They walk away with a renewed sense of who they are."
In 1995, Riddick became an instructor with North Carolina REAL (Rural Entrepreneurship Through Action Learning) Enterprises. In this capacity, she instructs current and prospective business owners in small business development and operation. Riddick has traveled across the country serving at several REAL Institutes and is now a master instructor. In June 1999, she was invited to serve as Regional Director for the REAL Institute held in Boone.
In accepting her award, which also includes $1500 from the First Union Foundation, Riddick said her role as an instructor allows her to "take what I have been given to transform an adult into someone else…to pull the student to the other side."
Riddick was chosen from an original field of twelve instructors that was reduced to five finalists. The remaining four finalists for the 1999 Excellence in Teaching Award are: Merlin Amirtharaj, Department Head and Instructor, Computer Information systems, Stanly Community College; Herbert I. Burns, Jr., Chairman of Architectural Technology, Forsyth Technical Community College; Yvonne C. Leonard, Department Head and Instructor, Information Systems and Computer Programming, Coastal Carolina Community College; and Gordon L. Whitman, Associate Professor of Psychology, Sandhills Community College. In addition to a framed certificate, the finalists each received $500 from the First Union Foundation.
Also honored during at Day of Recognition were Dr. Edgar J. Boone and Dr. Prezell R. Robinson as I.E. Ready Award recipients. The I.E. Ready Award is the highest recognition of service from the State Board of Community Colleges.
Another award presented at Day of Recognition was the President’s Leadership Award, given to the student who has made significant contributions to their college and community. Megan McCollum a May, 1999 graduate of Rockingham Community College, now a student at North Carolina State University, was selected by NCCCS President H. Martin Lancaster to receive this honor.
All retirees over the last year from all North Carolina community colleges were also recognized with a certificate.
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