Earlier this year, two Allen Community College employees, Terri Fahnestock, Communications Instructor, and Julie Ingle, Financial Aid Specialist, won The League Excellence Award presented to them by the League For Innovation.
The League For Innovation in the Community College was founded in 1968 by B. Lamar Johnson with the goal of cultivating innovation in the community college environment. According to one of the recipients of the award, nominees are selected by their fellow employees. Employees then fill out a questionnaire about the nominees which is submitted to the League of Innovations for the Community College.
Award recipient Julie Ingle has worked for Allen in many different ways over her 9 years here. She first started in the mailroom as an innovative employee and continues to be innovative in financial aid. Ingle’s office has an open-door policy which allows students to stop by and ask questions about their financial aid at any time. The financial aid office helps students make sure they are eligible for financial aid, pushes their financial aid through, finds any available scholarships, or whatever else they can do to assist students.
“[We are] just really trying to put the student first and be there however we can,” she said.
Terri Fahnestock has been an instructor at Allen for almost five years and students often refer to her as the unofficial mom on campus. Fahnestock says she continues to push herself every year to further enhance the classroom experience by thinking outside of the box. However, Fahnestock notes that her relationships with her students are outside of the classroom; being able to go to their ball games, their plays, or art exhibits.
“I think students know who their supporters are… They see us, they know that we support them,” she said.
Recipients of this award are nominated by their coworkers. A list of teachers and staff are selected then questionnaires about these nominees are sent to their coworkers before the recipients of the award are selected. Both Ingle and Fahnestock have expressed extreme gratitude and appreciation for their co-workers.
“[The nomination] stems from your coworkers talking and thinking that you are worthy of the award, and I feel like I work with such an amazing group of people at Allen,” Ingle said.
Fahnestock, as an instructor at allen, also talks about the relationships she has both with the employees and students at Allen.
“I think the biggest part has been seeing the relationships I have built with my colleagues and students be highlighted by receiving this award,” Fahnestock said.
This prestigious award has been handed out to others at Allen in the past and will most likely continue in the future, making Allen a great place to further one’s education.