Alamance Community College (ACC) has named Sherri Singer, Social and Behavioral Sciences Department Head, as recipient of the Ronald L. McCarter Excellence in Teaching Award and Faculty Member of the Year for 2019-2020.
“Sherri Singer was selected as our faculty winner this year due to the quality instruction she provides to her students, to the ACC community, and throughout Alamance County,” said Dr. Connie Wolfe, Vice President of Instruction and Chief Academic Officer.
The honor makes Singer a finalist in the Higher Education category for the Alamance Area Chamber of Commerce Excellence in Education Awards Program scheduled for later this year.
Sherri Singer has worked at ACC since 2000 as an instructor in history and social sciences. She was named Department Head of Social/Behavioral Sciences in 2001. She earned a B.S. in History with a Social Studies High School teaching certificate and an M.A. in History with a Community and Junior College concentration from Appalachian State University.
Singer consistently receives high praise from her students in annual appraisals and is an innovative instructor. Her commitment to teaching includes advising the History Club. Students in the club learn life skills by taking on responsibilities of planning and execution for the co-curricular activities Singer routinely implements on campus.
Singer’s commitment to teaching goes beyond ACC’s classrooms. She has been instrumental in the College hosting History Day for the region’s high school students, brought more than a thousand middle school students to campus last year for the World War I Centennial event and for this year’s Women’s Suffrage exhibit and activities. She is planning a Smithsonian-sponsored Water Ways exhibit for 2021.
She also contributes to quality instruction at ACC by managing the College’s Adjunct Institute. Finally, she has contributed to excellence in teaching college-wide by working tirelessly to help dozens of ACC faculty members set up online courses in March.
Representing the Business and Arts division, Singer was one of three nominees selected by deans after careful consideration. Her name will now be forwarded to the Alamance Chamber of Commerce’s Excellence in Education Awards Program.
Each of ACC’s nominees improves and expands student learning at ACC. Also nominated were Heather Laws and Dr. Elizabeth Riley.
Heather Laws, Cosmetology Department Head and instructor, represented the Health and Public Services Division. Laws ensures students stay current in their field, bringing experts to campus and taking students on field trips to expose them to the latest cosmetology techniques. She has collaborated with Continuing Education on bilingual classes and supports her students in Skills USA competition.
Dr. Elizabeth Riley, Horticulture Department Head and instructor, represented the Industrial Technologies Division. Riley is a dynamic, creative and energetic instructor who extends her love of horticulture to her students. She restarted the 4-H Club, offers classes for the Career College, and created a series of Crew Leader classes, all of which provide instruction to a diverse group of students of varying ages and abilities. She provides instruction to students as a lead faculty member for the student group WISDEM (Women in Science, Design, Engineering, and Manufacturing).
