We’re proud of our people—the faculty and staff who work so hard to make a difference in the lives of others. Click the link below to read about individual award recipients, or read on for some of the distinctions earned by our faculty and employees (as well as some by the college itself).
Faculty/Employee of the Year
Patrick Schooler has been named recipient of the annual Jerry Wartgow Award, a statewide honor bestowed upon a faculty member excelling both in the focus and use of technology to educate students. Schooler, a full-time instructor and department chair for Emergency Medical Services and Fire Sciences Technology, was deemed by the Colorado Community College System as having done cutting-edge work both in the development and use of simulation technology at CCA’s EMS Learning Studios and Disaster Management Institute.
Dr. Geoff Hunt has been appointed as the State Faculty Advisory Council (SFAC) representative for the Community College of Aurora. SFAC serves in an advisory capacity to the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education (SBCCOE) and acts in a liaison capacity between the college faculties and the Board. Dr. Hunt has been with CCA since 1995, serving in numerous capacities. He is currently chair of social sciences for the college.
The Colorado Film School at CCA has been named to The Hollywood Reporter’s list of the top 25 film schools in the world. The School is on the list alongside prestigious institutions such as the American Film Institute, University of Southern California, UCLA, Syracuse University, Columbia University, Stanford, and the Beijing Film Academy. In compiling the list, The Hollywood Reporter consulted industry insiders, executives, filmmakers, and film school graduates. The magazine asked participants to rate each program based on the categories of alumni, cost, facilities, industry access, and strength of faculty. According to its web site, The Hollywood Reporter, which is affiliated with Billboard, Back Stage, and AdWeek magazines, and, according to its website, “is read by the most powerful people in the entertainment industry and the most influential consumers who follow it.”
Rich Bogdanovich, math faculty member, has been honored as recipient of the prestigious 2011 Burton W. Jones Award for Distinguished Teaching. The award was presented by the Mathematical Association of America, Rocky Mountain Section. Bogdanovich was recognized for his significant contributions to the math professions and is the first community college faculty member to win the award from the Rocky Mountain region. In 1991, the Board of Governors of the Mathematical Association of America established Section Awards for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics to recognize extraordinarily successful teachers of mathematics at the post-secondary level.
Margaret Ann Uchner has been appointed Pacific Regional Director of the American Association for Paralegal Education (AAfPE). She is one of five regional directors of AAfPE in the United States. AAfPE is a national organization that serves paralegal educators and institutions offering paralegal educational programs. The Pacific Region serves 13 states and 64 member colleges and universities. Uchner is the Legal Studies Program Coordinator for Paralegal and Criminal Justice at the Community College of Aurora.
Mathematics instructor Mike Pfaff and physics and astronomy instructor Larry Sessions have been honored with the Tom Brosh Award for Adjunct Faculty. The award recognizes instructors who have at least five academic years of teaching at CCA and have provided outstanding service to CCA students and to the college.
Theater Director Stacey D’Angelo was honored for her recognition as 2010 Faculty of the Year for CCA during the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education meeting in February 2011. D’Angelo was honored for her work as a faculty member and for her direction of inventive and moving theatrical productions.
Angie Tiedeman, director of Student Life, and Julie Johnson, coordinator of Student Life, were honored when the college's Office of Student Life was recognized as "Public Health Hero" of the year by the Tri-County Health Department. The Office was recognized for its commitment to providing public health services and information for students and for members of the Aurora Colorado community
In an article titled “Film School Confidential,” the December 2009 edition of ICG magazine named the Colorado Film School at CCA as one of the “seven best-kept secrets” in cinema education in the nation. The monthly magazine is published by the International Cinematographers Guild.
Dr. Geoff Hunt, chair of social sciences, Scott VanOrdstrand, adjunct instructor and IT manager, Colorado Film School, and Sandra Gabrych, former assistant professor and program coordinator, Colorado Film School, were each awarded the Dr. Linda and Roger Bowman Faculty Award. The annual award recognizes members of the faculty who have made a significant difference for CCA students. The 2009 award was shared in recognition of their extensive work on the documentary “The Wars We Fought.” The film was crafted on behalf of the Colorado 7th Congressional District’s Veterans’ Oral History Project and was produced for the Library of Congress.
Math instructor George Brown was appointed in 2009 to a national work group charged with determining the standards for the ACCUPLACER® test offered by The College Board. The College Board, a national association best known for its SAT®, PSAT® and Advanced Placement Program ® (AP®), serves some seven million students each year through its programs. Brownalso was awarded the annual Tom Brosh Adjunct Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award in 2009.
Frederic Lahey was invited to participate on the Creative Economy Panel of Advisors co-chaired by Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien. The panel will prepare a report for Gov. Bill Ritter, Jr. Lahey says that the purpose of the committee is to meet competitive challenges from other states targeting this “clean, fast-growing sector.”
President Linda Bowman delivered a presentation on educational reform at the 62nd Council of State Governments-WEST annual meeting in October 2009. Titled “Race to Success: Policy Strategies for Education Reform,” Bowman’s presentation was delivered to a conference of legislators and other leaders. Her presentation touched on some of the challenges in the educational system and the steps that can be taken to engender improvement.
The Aurora public charter school Global Village Academy was awarded a five-year, $1.4 million Foreign Language Assistant Program (FLAP) grant by the U.S. Department and Education, and the Community College of Aurora will be a partner in this initiative to develop a grades 9-12 Chinese language program for concurrently enrolled students. Aurora Public Schools also is a key partner in the program.
The Community College of Aurora was honored in August 2009 by the Adams County Human Services Department for its work with TANF (Temporary Aid for Needy Families) and CHOICES. Both programs are under the Center for Workforce Development umbrella and serve welfare recipients in Adams and Arapahoe Counties and low-income working families in Adams County.
The Community College of Aurora was honored in August 2009 by the U.S. Department of Justice for its “partnership and exemplary contribution to the successful implementation of the Colfax Corridor Weed and Seed Operation” in Aurora. The DOJ also recognized the CCA Language Center and the CCA Workforce Development Center for involvement in the program.
In summer 2009 the Community College of Aurora was selected as an affiliate institution of the Colorado Space Grant Consortium, which is funded by NASA. The Consortium is a statewide organization involving 13 colleges, universities and institutions and gives students skills and knowledge to allow them to become part of the aerospace and space science workforce. Victor Andersen, faculty member in astronomy and physics, is the space grant affiliate director to the Consortium.
CCA Paralegal and Mediation Program Specialist Robin R. Rossenfeld was selected chairperson of the Dispute Resolution Section of the Colorado Bar Association for a one-year term beginning July 2009.
Revised and recut for submission to national film festivals, the Colorado Film School’s “The Wars we Fought: Frontline Stories of Colorado Veterans” documentary was transformed into “In Times of War: Colorado Vets” and was selected for screening at the 2009 GI Film Festival in Washington, D.C.
The National Science Foundation has awarded a grant of $149,909 to the Community College of Aurora for support of a project titled “Community College GIS Faculty Institute,” which will be under the direction of Dr. Geoff Hunt and Elizabeth Hirsh. Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, can capture, store, and analyze data to be used in numerous applications. Housed at CCA, the Institute will train faculty members across the disciplines in the application of these technologies to the classroom. Institute organizers are eager to establish the program to invest in Colorado and attract Colorado students to this new, high-demand occupational field. Introducing a GIS module in CCA classrooms will bolster the college’s already strong programs in STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Angie Tiedeman was recognized by the State Student Advisory Council as the Advocate of the Year for 2009. She was chosen from among all the Student Life professionals at the thirteen colleges in the Colorado Community College System. Also among the honorees were two CCA students, Iris Jones and E.L. Groves, who were honored as Rising Star recipients.
U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) in March 2009 presented “The Wars We Fought: Front Line Stories of Colorado Veterans” video to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and a contingent of CCA faculty and staff, including President Linda Bowman, joined Perlmutter for the presentation. The documentary was created by the Colorado Film School at CCA in conjunction with CCA history students for the 7th Congressional District Veterans' Oral History Project. The 30-minute film presents in vivid detail the stories of Colorado veterans who served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.
The Alpha Pi Pi chapter of Phi Theta Kappa earned three honors in March 2009 at the regional convention in Fort Collins. Director of Student Life Angie Tiedeman was presented with the Horizon Award, granted for excellence as a PTK advisor. The chapter also received the Colorado Region Five-Star award, the highest level a chapter can receive. Additionally, Chani Cantu, CCA chapter vice president, received regional first place for her Service Hallmark entry.
Michael Levell was named CCA faculty member of the year for 2009. He was honored by the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education. Faculty from throughout the Colorado Community College System were similarly recognized at the event. Levell holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Southern Indiana and an MFA in writing and poetics from Naropa University.
English Instructor Susan Achziger was selected to speak at the 2009 Conference on College Composition and Communication annual convention in San Francisco. Each year, the convention draws college faculty from around the world. Achziger’s presentation “Making Waves with Webfolios” was delivered during the session “New Media Strategies for Writing Classrooms.”
Adjunct Instructor in American Sign Language Glory Randolph was selected to interpret for the hearing-impaired community when President Barack Obama visited Denver in February 2009.
