Seven Cochise College employees have been selected by their peers to receive awards recognizing excellence in the workplace.
Three faculty members are receiving the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) award, which supports excellence in teaching and leadership. As recipients, they are invited to the NISOD conference at the University of Texas at Austin in May. The recipients were nominated for their service to students, their department, the college, and their communities. Recipients are Randy Fox, department chair for technology and welding instructor; Tasneem Ashraf, co-chair for the science department; and Gail Shaughnessey, humanities and philosophy instructor.
Randy Fox
Fox became a full-time welding instructor in 2005 and department chair two years later. He has created new classes to provide students with access to advanced welding skills. He implemented flexible open lab time for students to work outside of class. He mentors area high school teachers to help prepare future Cochise College welding students and worked closely with contractors to develop welding facilities at the Sierra Vista and Douglas campuses. He serves on college committees related to safety, university articulation, career and technical education, and program assessment. His department holds welding competitions and seminars for the community, and he is involved with the Bisbee Save Our Stairs project.
Tasneem Ashraf
Ashraf was among the first instructors to implement the use of an automatic response system allowing students to answer questions anonymously during class. Her lectures are available online, and she teaches “blended” classes that combine Web and in-class instruction. She connects students with the community by guiding them in a project to teach a science lesson to elementary- and middle-school children. She serves on committees related to service learning, assessment, and articulation.
Gail Shaughnessey
Shaughnessey has been employed at the college for more than 20 years, serving as associate faculty, academic advisor, writing lab director and full-time faculty. She has taught five different classes in the English discipline, seven in humanities, two in philosophy, and a student success seminar. In 1998, she was selected as the associate faculty Star Award recipient in recognition of superior teaching. She serves on the online committee, curriculum committee and college senate and has lent her assistance as co-chair for the Cochise Community Creative Writing Celebration and the Philosophy Club.
Four other employees have received Achieved Classified Excellence (ACE) awards. Kathy Carrillo, Mary Fogleman, Jamie O’Rourke and Martha Skinner were selected by a committee of previous honorees.
Carrillo is the administrative assistant for technology, which includes programs in agriculture, automotive technology, building construction technology, business, computers, culinary arts, mechatronics, and welding. She started working part time in the Adult Education program in 1997 and became a full-time employee in 2004. Carrillo will serve on the college senate and is the president of the Cochise College Classified Association, a wellness ambassador and a member of the employee relations committee.
Mary Fogleman
Fogleman has been an associate faculty member since 1993 and joined the college in 2005 as an administrative assistant, working for the math/science and technology divisions before moving into a new role in the library this month. For the last four years, she has helped assistant deans by keeping on top of enrollment, calculating instructor loads, facilitating payment for associate faculty, compiling and editing class schedules, preparing textbook orders, tracking budgets, maintaining department files and providing some clerical support to faculty.
Jamie O'Rourke
O’Rourke works in facilities and maintenance at the Sierra Vista Campus. He joined the college in September 1997, first working as part of the grounds crew and transitioning into facilities maintenance and serving as the campus locksmith.
Skinner joined the Office of Institutional Research full time in 1997 before moving into her current role as administrative assistant, principal, in Student Services in 2000. Working for the dean, she monitors calendars and budgets; coordinates disciplinary hearings, Student Services management meetings, hiring and commencement committees; and handles correspondence and internal filing. Skinner earned an associate of arts degree at Cochise College in 1986 and currently serves as secretary for the Cochise College Alumni association.
Martha Skinner