Besse Award
Award Overview:
The Excellence in Teaching Award in Honor of Ralph M. Besse is presented annually for up to four full-time faculty members and up to four adjunct faculty or lecturers selected for exceptional professional competence and commitment to helping students succeed. Specifically, these award winners demonstrate a commitment to academic quality, stimulation of intellectual development, and investment with students within and beyond the classroom. Students are the initial driver of the list of nominees. The award is given in honor of Ralph M. Besse, Cleveland community leader and champion of higher education, who was instrumental in founding Tri-C.
Award Highlights:
- A maximum of eight awards will be announced (four full-time faculty and four adjuncts).
- Winners are announced at Fall Convocation and receive an engraved plaque, monetary award, and support for professional development.
- Awards are College-wide and not based on campus location or discipline.
- Lecturers are eligible to receive the Adjunct Award.
- This is a two-step award process. Students are the initial driver by completing an electronic form with five questions related to teaching excellence. Those eligible faculty nominees are then sent forth for a college-wide faculty/staff nomination. Faculty must have at least one student nomination and at least one faculty/staff nomination to be eligible for final consideration.
- Review the award process overview and eligibility requirements here.
2022 Award Timeline:
- March 1 - 23: College-wide call for student nominations
- April 18 – May 12: College-wide call for faculty/staff nominations
- May 13: Nominees notified if they received both a student nomination and a faculty/staff nomination and are eligible for final consideration
- May 13 – June 20: Nominees electronically submit a teaching artifact, CV/resume, and list of professional development activities.
- June 27 – July 20: Selection Committees review candidates’ documents and meet to determine final recommendations
- July 25: Campus Presidents and Provost approves final candidates
- August 23: Winners announced at Fall Convocation
Faculty/Staff Nominations:
Below are the faculty who received one or more student nominations. The candidates must receive a second nomination from faculty/staff to be eligible for final consideration. You are welcome to submit nominations for more than one faculty member. Nominations are due at noon on Thursday, May 12! Click here to submit a faculty/staff nomination.
2022 Lecturers and Adjunct Faculty:
- Roan Adognravi, Adjunct, Visual Communication & Design, Metropolitan
- Timothy Bailey, Adjunct, English as a Second Language, Westshore
- Michael Centanni, Adjunct, Physics, Western
- Shawnda Coon-Borocz, Adjunct, Medical Laboratory Technology, Metropolitan
- Sue Dieterich, Lecturer, General Education/Counseling, Metropolitan
- Holly Gast, Lecturer, Communication Studies, Eastern
- Alan Green, Adjunct, Humanities, Western
- Angela Harris, Adjunct, Business Administration, Metropolitan
- John Lanning, Lecturer, English, Metropolitan
- Kevin Lizanich, Adjunct, Information Technology, Western
- Jeffrey Lonjak, Adjunct, Business Administration, Western
- Kelly McGreal, Adjunct, English, Eastern
- Oksana Melnychenko, Adjunct, Music, Eastern
- Kelly Moranz, Adjunct, Court Reporting & Captioning, Western
- Daniel Newman, Adjunct, Paralegal Studies, Western
- Allie Shapero, Adjunct, Criminal Justice, Metropolitan
- Sarah Szweda, Adjunct, Media & Journalism Studies, Western
2022 Full-time Faculty:
- Stacy Arsenault, Assistant Professor, Medical Laboratory Technology, Metropolitan
- Kevin Berg, Assistant Professor, Counseling, Western
- Neeta Chandra, Associate Professor, English, Metropolitan
- Mardy Chaplin, Assistant Professor, Paralegal Studies, Western
- Cindy Conaway-Mavroidis, Assistant Professor, Biology, Metropolitan
- Joseph Cummins, Assistant Professor, Human Services, Metropolitan
- Joslyn Dalton, Associate Professor, Health Information Management, Metropolitan
- Irene Diritsky, Associate Professor, Human Services, Metropolitan
- Lisa Friel, Assistant Professor, English as a Second Language, Westshore
- Brian Johnson, Assistant Professor, Humanities, Eastern
- Robin Kelly, Assistant Professor, Marketing, Western
- Margaret Lehnert, Assistant Professor, Biology, Western
- Daniel Levin, Associate Professor, Visual Communication & Design, Western
- Richard London, Assistant Professor, Biology, Metropolitan
- Benjamin Morgenstein, Assistant Professor, English, Western
- Susan Nagorney, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Metropolitan
- John Ostroske, Assistant Professor, Information Technology, Metropolitan
- Trista Powers, Assistant Professor, English, Metropolitan
- Kathy Renfro, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Metropolitan
- Pamela Simmons, Assistant Professor, Accounting, Western
- Erin Susick, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Eastern
- Casandra Sweeney, Associate Professor, English, Eastern
- Kathleen Tamerlano, Associate Professor, Information Technology, Western
- Bhavna Thakkar, Associate Professor, Psychology, Westshore
- Ky-Wai Wong, Assistant Professor, Hospitality Management, Westshore
2021 Award Winners:
Congratulations to the outstanding faculty who received this year’s Excellence in Teaching Award in Honor of Ralph M. Besse!
AY 21-22 Full-time Faculty Winners




AY 21-22 Adjunct Faculty and Lecturers



