Two Wayne Community College faculty members have been honored with the college’s 18th set of “Distinguished Chair” awards.
Dr. Ryan Bradshaw, business instructor, and Missy Smiley, nursing instructor, received monetary awards to use for travel and trophies.
The Distinguished Chair awards recognize outstanding full-time curriculum faculty members who have distinguished themselves at the college and in the community. The awards are made possible by an annual gift to the Foundation of Wayne Community College by an anonymous donor.
“It is our pleasure to shine a light on the outstanding work being done at Wayne Community College,” said Foundation Executive Director Adrienne Northington.
In the six years that Bradshaw has taught at Wayne, he has, according to Tracy Schmeltzer, dean of the Business and Computer Technologies Division, “distinguished himself as a leader in education through his innovative learning opportunities,” citing podcasts and interview events he created. She also applauded the fact that all of his courses are bookless and that he created course content for four of those courses and contributed to two others.
He has given “110 percent of his time and talents in whatever capacity he serves,” from summer camps to the Safety Committee, Schmeltzer said.
Smiley’s longevity allows her to provide historical perspective to department meetings and mentoring new faculty.
“Even after 14 years at Wayne, she still seeks new ways to challenge and encourage students and opportunities to advance her own knowledge and credentials, whether becoming a nationally Certified Nurse Educator or an Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing Peer Evaluator,” said Interim WCC President Patty Pfeiffer in announcing the award.
“She doesn’t just teach, she models compassionate behavior, and during this pandemic, has given COVID vaccines and worked on patient care units to help our hospital meet its staffing needs,” Pfeiffer said.
Past recipients were: 2004 – Peggy Womble and Beth Hooks, 2005 – Cindy Archie and Gene Smith, 2006 – Faye Best and Rosalyn Lomax, 2007 – Kathryn Spicer and Rachel Hall, 2008 – Margaret Baddour and Charlotte Brow, 2009 – Craig Foucht and Phyllis Patterson, 2010 – Todd King and Anna Anaya-Vega, 2011 – Joanne McClave and Angela Wall, 2012 – Tammy Bishop and Fe Finch, 2013 – David Byrd and Janeil Marak, 2014 – Maureen Loomer and Chad Pate, 2015 – Katina Davis and Glenn Royster, 2016 – Paul Compton and Duane Everhart, 2017 – Angie Waller and Daniel Rollins, 2018 – Dr. Ernie White and Jennifer Johnson, 2019 – Billy Tart and LaRose Brock, and 2020 – Dr. Brandon Jenkins and Bill Reboli.
The Foundation is a non-profit organization that works to promote and to broaden the base of community support for educational opportunities at Wayne Community College in Goldsboro. The Foundation provides scholarships for WCC students, funds for educational supplies and events that cannot be paid for with state money, and public cultural events at the college.
Wayne Community College is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, the college serves 10,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 165 college credit programs. WCC’s mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.