Cochise College employees who gathered at convocation on the Douglas Campus Monday heard from an internationally recognized expert on student retention and recognized a number of their own with excellence and service awards.

Recipients of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development award are Gail Staples, back left, Dartle Atherton, Mary Coyle, Chris McVean and Dr. Joanna Michelich. Cochise College Governing Board members are Dr. John Eaton, front left, David DiPeso, Jan Guy, Jane Strain and Dr. Michael Carter.

Dr. Vincent Tinto, distinguished professor and chair of the higher education program at Syracuse University, was this year’s keynote speaker. Tinto is a researcher and writer on issues in higher education, particularly student retention and the academic achievements of underprepared college students. He also facilitated a workshop for teaching faculty and instructional managers.

 Five employees were named recipients of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) award, which supports excellence in teaching and leadership. As recipients, they were invited to attend the NISOD conference at the University of Texas at Austin last May, and they met the Governing Board at its August meeting.

Dr. Joanna K. Michelich, executive vice president, was nominated by her colleagues as an outstanding educator who exemplifies all of the qualities of the award. Her 37-year career as a teacher, administrator and community servant has been characterized by her commitment to excellence, a love for teaching and learning, and a strong support for students, teachers and the larger community.

“The underlying philosophy that guides her in decisions,” read her nomination, “is that students and learning come first. She seeks opportunities to help students succeed, including implementing the All-Arizona and All-USA scholarship program. She is a friend to students.”

Michelich is planning to retire next year.

Gail Staples was recognized for more than 20 years of dedicated service to Cochise College. Nominators remarked that she has a direct impact on student achievement and strives to improve their educational experience. She served as the college’s first systems librarian and was instrumental in implementing SIRSI, the college’s online catalog and circulation system. She is currently the instruction and public services librarian, in charge of library instruction and circulation for the district, traveling to all of the college’s locations to present information literacy sessions to students and faculty. Students frequently request her help when they need assistance and have stopped her at the grocery store to ask reference questions or return books.

“Gail is dedicated to improving student success and is long overdue for this prestigious award,” her nomination said.

Colleagues described Chris McVean as a business instructor with an exemplary commitment to students, the division, and the college. McVean has been teaching for more than 20 years and has been known to hold review and make-up sessions on evenings and weekends and to help ill student residents pick up medication.

“In service to students,” a colleague wrote, “she regularly goes above and beyond her assigned duties. She has a deep compassion for students’ well-being. She keeps in touch with her current students, contacting them when they miss classes and encouraging them to keep on toward their educational and occupational goals.”

Colleagues of Financial Aid Director Dartle Atherton agree that in her 17 years at the college, she has improved communication and keeps students informed about financial aid.

“I don’t know who else,” reads her nomination form, “gets four pages of single-spaced, typed pages in the college’s schedule each semester explaining for students who, what, where, and how a student can get financial aid. She goes out of her way to assist students with aid to insure they are able to obtain the education they desire.”

Atherton’s dedication is not limited to students. She also gives to the community by contributing homemade quilts to Project Linus, which supports children who are seriously ill or traumatized; she is the first to ask if the “Angel Tree” is ready and makes sure that all angels have been taken care of before the college is closed for the holidays.

Liberal Arts Instructor Mary Coyle was nominated as a natural leader and mentor. She teaches Irish and British literature and humanities, is a teacher and advisor for honors students, and is advisor for the Cinéaste Circle film club.

Coyle also has helped organize the Cultural Diversity Celebration in conjunction with the Sierra Vista Parks and Recreation Department and the Folklore Festival at the University of Arizona South. Most recently, she founded and co-facilitates the Belief in Books Reading Circle at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Sierra Vista.

The college also named the American Sign Language program, under the leadership of Liz Lockwood, this year’s Assessment Award recipient. The program designed and implemented a clear and effective assessment plan, conducted a thoughtful analysis of assessment results, and launched an action plan to improve student learning.

Rachael Brantley, Raquel Harder, Janice Mersinger and Stella Martin, who received the Achieved Classified Excellence (ACE) award earlier this year, were recognized. A number of employees also received service awards:

Five Years of Service

Ben M. Berry

Leslie Clark

Janeen Crockett

Daniel Joseph Guilmette

Mignonne D. Hollis

Robert F. Howell

Anthony R. Lewis

Gerald Duane McNeely

Elma M. Mossor

Deborah Ann Munson

Diane L. Nadeau

Evangeline Rosete

Kathleen Todd

10 Years of Service

Byron B. Berry

Michael Bowen

Scott A. Brown

Suzanne M. Bruner

Kenneth C. Charters

Mary B. Coyle

Rebecca A. Dorman

Sandra L. Flakowski

Ralph W. Hooten

Janet Johnson

William E. Mapp

Maureen Mitzner

Patricia M. Mohead

Catalina O. Ortiz

Jennifer Anne Patton

Rebecca E. Pickett

Debra Lea Quick

Douglas B. Smith

Emilie G. Vardaman

Francisco Lopez Villaseñor

15 Years of Service

Martha Bordelois

LeSandra R. Bryan

Judy A. Farris

Richard Hall

Jill Hamilton

Steven C. Lane

Pete M. Molina

Rosa Maria Ortega

David Larry Parry

20 Years of Service

Janet Bruce

Belinda A. Burnett

Charles J. Hoyack

Anna Gloria Molina

Teresa Ortiz

Elizabeth Ann Poe

Kim Rogalski

Mark A. von Destinon

Cathy Jo Waters

25 Years of Service

Richard J. Chavez

Cynthia Gobel

James A. Hall

Jose Sodari

30 Years of Service

Patricia Hotchkiss

Curtis Smith