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Whether you want to earn a degree, improve your skills, get certified, train for a new career, or explore a new hobby, you can choose from many programs and courses.

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What type of student are you? New Student Returning Transfer Visiting International College Credit Plus Non-Credit All Student Types

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Explore your interests and find a program that puts you on the path to a bright future. Tri-C offers both credit and non-credit courses as well as certificate programs in most career fields.

View all programs

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More than 1,000 credit courses are offered each semester in more than 200 career and technical programs. Tri-C also grants short-term certificates, certificates of proficiency and post-degree professional certificates.

View A-Z Program List

Workforce Training & Professional Development

Tri-C's Workforce Training provides both non-credit and credit training for individuals and businesses to assist individuals with skills leading to employment. Tri-C's Corporate College provides professional development and corporate training opportunities.

Learn more

Community Programming for Adults & Youth

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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:

  1. Roan Adognravi, Adjunct, Visual Communication & Design, Metropolitan
  2. Timothy Bailey, Adjunct, English as a Second Language, Westshore
  3. Michael Centanni, Adjunct, Physics, Western
  4. Shawnda Coon-Borocz, Adjunct, Medical Laboratory Technology, Metropolitan
  5. Sue Dieterich, Lecturer, General Education/Counseling, Metropolitan
  6. Holly Gast, Lecturer, Communication Studies, Eastern
  7. Alan Green, Adjunct, Humanities, Western
  8. Angela Harris, Adjunct, Business Administration, Metropolitan
  9. John Lanning, Lecturer, English, Metropolitan
  10. Kevin Lizanich, Adjunct, Information Technology, Western
  11. Jeffrey Lonjak, Adjunct, Business Administration, Western
  12. Kelly McGreal, Adjunct, English, Eastern
  13. Oksana Melnychenko, Adjunct, Music, Eastern
  14. Kelly Moranz, Adjunct, Court Reporting & Captioning, Western
  15. Daniel Newman, Adjunct, Paralegal Studies, Western
  16. Allie Shapero, Adjunct, Criminal Justice, Metropolitan
  17. Sarah Szweda, Adjunct, Media & Journalism Studies, Western

 

2022 Full-time Faculty:

  1. Stacy Arsenault, Assistant Professor, Medical Laboratory Technology, Metropolitan
  2. Kevin Berg, Assistant Professor, Counseling, Western
  3. Neeta Chandra, Associate Professor, English, Metropolitan
  4. Mardy Chaplin, Assistant Professor, Paralegal Studies, Western
  5. Cindy Conaway-Mavroidis, Assistant Professor, Biology, Metropolitan
  6. Joseph Cummins, Assistant Professor, Human Services, Metropolitan
  7. Joslyn Dalton, Associate Professor, Health Information Management, Metropolitan
  8. Irene Diritsky, Associate Professor, Human Services, Metropolitan
  9. Lisa Friel, Assistant Professor, English as a Second Language, Westshore
  10. Brian Johnson, Assistant Professor, Humanities, Eastern
  11. Robin Kelly, Assistant Professor, Marketing, Western
  12. Margaret Lehnert, Assistant Professor, Biology, Western
  13. Daniel Levin, Associate Professor, Visual Communication & Design, Western
  14. Richard London, Assistant Professor, Biology, Metropolitan
  15. Benjamin Morgenstein, Assistant Professor, English, Western
  16. Susan Nagorney, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Metropolitan
  17. John Ostroske, Assistant Professor, Information Technology, Metropolitan
  18. Trista Powers, Assistant Professor, English, Metropolitan
  19. Kathy Renfro, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Metropolitan
  20. Pamela Simmons, Assistant Professor, Accounting, Western
  21. Erin Susick, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Eastern
  22. Casandra Sweeney, Associate Professor, English, Eastern
  23. Kathleen Tamerlano, Associate Professor, Information Technology, Western
  24. Bhavna Thakkar, Associate Professor, Psychology, Westshore
  25. 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

Julia Cronin - Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Western Campus
Julia Cronin - Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Western Campus
Brian Hall - Associate Professor, English, Metropolitan Campus
Brian Hall - Associate Professor, English, Metropolitan Campus
Yasser Jahami - Associate Professor, Radiologic Technology, Western Campus
Yasser Jahami - Associate Professor, Radiologic Technology, Western Campus
Elizabeth Vaidya - Professor, Biology, Westshore Campus
Elizabeth Vaidya - Professor, Biology, Westshore Campus

AY 21-22 Adjunct Faculty and Lecturers

Yiyun Chen, Visual Communication, Western Campus
Yiyun Chen, Visual Communication, Western Campus
Joyce Laggan - Communication Studies, Western Campus
Joyce Laggan - Communication Studies, Western Campus
John Latimer - Music, Metropolitan Campus
John Latimer - Music, Metropolitan Campus
Danielle Seighman - Occupational Therapy, Metropolitan Campus
Danielle Seighman - Occupational Therapy, Metropolitan Campus
Fall 2020 Convocation Awards

Previous Winners

Full-Time Faculty Besse Award Winners
Adjunct and Lecturer Besse Award Winners
Award Process and Eligibility
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