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K-State Today

June 10, 2020

Professional Development Certificates in Teaching Excellence recipients announced

Submitted by Jackie Harmon

The Teaching and Learning Center, or TLC, announces the recipients of 2019-2020 Professional Development Certificates in Teaching Excellence.

Historically, the TLC has primarily offered this certificate to graduate teaching assistants. This year, however, we decided to open our professional development series to anyone who was interested in participating and created three different categories of certificates, with each category having its own requirements for completion.

TLC Fellows completed the requirements for the TLC Professional Development Certificate in Teaching Excellence. These individuals also contributed to the teaching and learning climate here at Kansas State University and detailed strategies they would like to implement in the future to further help their colleagues. The TLC congratulates the following individuals for becoming TLC Fellows as well as highlight some of the ways in which these individuals have contributed to the teaching and learning climate:

J. J. Brotton, marketing

J.J. Brotton

Taylor Jennings, English Language Program

Taylor Jennnings

Individuals who received the TLC Professional Development Certificate in Teaching Excellence earned at least 12 credits for attending TLC-sponsored events throughout the 2019-2020 school year — four of which were labeled as Need-to-Know events. These individuals also completed a reflection wherein they provided us with information on how they could apply what they learned in this series to their own teaching as well as provide us with feedback for future professional development opportunities. The TLC congratulates the following individuals for earning this certificate:

  • J.J. Brotton, marketing. 
  • Aaron Clanton, grain science and industry. 
  • Taylor Jennings, English Language Program. 
  • Deanna Retzlaff, animal sciences and industry. 
  • Raelene Wouda, veterinary medicine. 
  • Leslie Wren, landscape architecture and regional and community planning.

Individuals who received the GTA Professional Development Certificate in Teaching Excellence earned at least 10 credits for attending TLC-sponsored events throughout the 2019-2020 school year and also completed an observation component in which they observed a colleague teaching as well as were observed by a colleague. The TLC congratulates the following individuals for earning this certificate: 

  • Tahmineh Azizi, mathematics. 
  • Billy Croslow, history. 
  • Prathibha Desman, chemistry. 
  • Ashley Hartman, animal sciences and industry. 
  • Nelofar Khamisani, curriculum and instruction. 
  • Soomin Kim, family studies and human services. 
  • Ratan Lal, computer science. 
  • Esther McCabe, animal sciences and industry. 
  • Priyanka Patel, family studies and human services. 
  • Slava Prokhorets, psychological sciences.
  • Hannah Shear, agricultural economics. 
  • Taylor Simonson, psychological sciences. 
  • Maverick Smith, psychological sciences. 
  • Laura Starr, agronomy. 
  • Catherine Stewart, agronomy. 
  • Ty Werdel, horticulture and natural resources. 

Congratulations again to all of these individuals! The TLC is proud of your accomplishments and appreciates your dedication to teaching excellence.

Our professional development series will resume in the fall for the 2020-2021 school year. More details on our exciting lineup of events will be made available soon. 

Have a great summer and be sure to proudly declare #ITeachatKState!