Broward Community College on Monday announced nine recipients of 2008 Endowed Teaching Chairs. As is college tradition, the winning faculty members were notified in their classrooms by a surprise visit from a group that included BCC President J. David Armstrong, Jr., BCC Foundation Executive Director Nancy Botero and BCCF Board of Directors Chairman Lloyd Rhodes. The team went to each of BCC’s campuses to make the presentations – North, in Coconut Creek; the Judson A. Samuels South Campus in Pembroke Pines and the A. Hugh Adams Central Campus in Davie. Each endowed chair will be awarded $22,500 over a period of three years. The annual award of $7,500 will be distributed as follows: two-thirds cash award and one-third for professional activities, travel, equipment, etc., designed to improve instruction or enhance the faculty members' skills. BCC is the first community college in the nation to complete an endowed teaching chair capital campaign and the college’s program, now in its 17th year, is considered as a national model. The BCC Endowed Teaching Chairs program is a major effort by the BCC District Board of Trustees and the BCC Foundation to demonstrate their commitment to quality instruction by recognizing and fostering faculty excellence with a cash award and a professional development opportunity. There were 74 eligible ETC nominations this year. Of these, 24 submitted portfolios for review by the faculty committee, and 18 were selected as semifinalists to make presentations to the faculty committee. Twelve were then chosen as finalists to make presentations to the BCC Foundation committee, which then chose the nine award recipients. They are: Lulrick Balzora, assistant professor of religion in the social sciences department on BCC’s A. Hugh Adams Central Campus was awarded the 2008 Second Generation Community Leaders Endowed Teaching Chair. The Davie resident has taught at BCC since 2002 and received tenure in 2005. He holds doctor of ministry and master of ministry degrees from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, an M.A. in history from Southeastern Louisiana University and a B.A. from Palm Beach Atlantic University. Balzora is the coordinator of the Honors Institute on the Adams Central Campus and plans to use a portion of his award to establish an honors student committee, led by a student representative assistant who would serve as an ombudsman. Genevieve C. Chung, a tenured professor of biology on the Adams Central Campus is the recipient of the 2008 Jan R. Cummings Endowed Teaching Chair. In 2002 she was awarded the Sensormatic Electronic Corporation’s Endowed Teaching Chair. A resident of Weston, Chung earned an Ed.D. in biology and higher education from Florida International University, an M.S. in nutrition from Columbia University and a B.S. in food science and management from the Pratt Institute in N.Y. She joined the BCC faculty in 1985. She plans to use the professional development portion of the award to enhance the student resources for the general botany lab, to create a medicinal and native plant garden and to develop an ethnobotany course. Teresa Diehl, assistant professor in the visual and performing arts department on the Adams Central Campus is the recipient of the 2008 SunTrust Bank Endowed Teaching Chair. She began her career at BCC as an adjunct instructor in 1989 and became an assistant professor in 2003, receiving tenure three years later. A native of Lebanon, the Miami resident received an M.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute, a B.F.A. from Florida Atlantic University and an A.A. from Miami Dade College. Her teaching experience includes the New World School of the Arts, Miami Dade Community College, Florida International University and the San Francisco Art Institute. Diehl has had numerous exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad. She was BCC’s A. Hugh Adams Central Campus Professor of the Year in 2007 and Adjunct Professor of the Year in 2002. Jodie Fry, the 2008 Donald L. Goldsmith Faculty Development & Technology Endowed Teaching Chair recipient is an associate professor of mathematics on the Judson A. Samuels South Campus. In 2001 she was awarded the William D. Horvitz Endowed Teaching Chair. Fry, who lives in Weston, came to BCC in 1991 as an adjunct instructor and became an associate professor in 1996, with tenure granted in 1999. She has 30 postgraduate credits, an M.S. from Nova University, a B.A. from Florida Atlantic University and an A.A. from BCC. Fry was named the Judson A. Samuels South Campus Professor of the Year in 2003. Her plans for the professional development funds from her award include upgrading the technology in her office and earning at least six graduate-level credits in mathematics. Howard R. Housen, assistant professor of behavioral sciences on the Adams Central Campus is the recipient of the 2008 Gene A. Whiddon Endowed Teaching Chair. The Lauderdale Lakes resident has taught at BCC since 1990 and has been tenured since 1993. He earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s Degree from Spring Arbor College in Michigan. He has also done postgraduate studies at Michigan State University, Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University. The subjects he teaches include general sociology, human sexuality and marriage and the family. Part of his teaching philosophy is that students “should not only know that they can succeed, but they should also know how to succeed. I want them to be able to turn obstacles into opportunities.” Mariah Johnson, the 2008 Blockbuster Entertainment Endowed Teaching Chair recipient,is an assistant professor in the department of visual and performing arts/theater on the Adams Central Campus. She earned a master of fine arts degree from Florida Atlantic University and a BFA degree from the University of Florida. She lives in Plantation and has taught at BCC since 2002, receiving tenure in 2006. Johnson, who has acted with The National Shakespeare Company in New York, and many other theater groups, would like to use part of the professional development portion of her award to travel to England to see productions presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company. This experience would be invaluable for the voice classes she teaches, where students learn to perform Shakespeare’s verse. Gary Kay has been awarded the 2008 William D. Horvitz Endowed Teaching Chair. Kay, a professor of reading on the Samuels South Campus was the recipient of the 2001 Gene A. Whiddon Endowed Teaching Chair. The Pembroke Pines resident has taught at BCC since 1983 and became a tenured member of the faculty in 1987. He earned his doctor of education and master of education degrees in reading from Florida Atlantic University and B.A. degrees from FAU and the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. Kay, who teaches remedial, developmental and advanced courses in reading, plans to use some of the funds from his award to reward his successful students with books and gift certificates to book stores, to enhance their self-esteem and encourage them to make reading an important part of their lives. Behnoush Memari is the recipient of the 2008 Rotary Clubs Endowed Teaching Chair. She is an assistant professor in the department of science and wellness education on North Campus who has taught at the college since 2003 and received tenure in 2006. Memari resides in Cooper City. She is a Ph.D. candidate at Florida International University, and received her M.S. in chemistry, also from FIU. She earned a B.S. at the University of Mashhad in Iran. She plans to use her professional development award to purchase equipment to podcast her lectures online and to upgrade laboratory programs. Kevin P. Walsh is the 2008 Stephen C. Barker Endowed Teaching Chair recipient. He is a professor in the political science department on the Adams Central Campus, where he has taught since 1999. In 2002, the Fort Lauderdale resident received tenure. Walsh earned a Ph.D. in political science from Southern Illinois University and a Master of Arts from Eastern Illinois University. His B.A. is from the University of Illinois. He believes that “teachers must arouse student interest, tap into their passions, and motivate them to develop the art of thinking and writing.” Walsh plans to use a portion of the professional development award to produce a 2008 Presidential Initiative to engage students in the election process, coordinated in conjunction with PTK (Phi Theta Kappa) and the BCC Honors Program. On November 7, 2008 the formal ETC awards ceremony and dinner will be held in Fort Lauderdale. | 
