The Bellevue College Foundation conferred Margin of Excellence Awards May 12 on seven Bellevue College faculty and staff members, honoring their outstanding work in support of the college and its students.
Nominated by Bellevue College students, faculty and staff, each received a $1,000 award from the Foundation.
The honorees are:
● Dale Hoffman, Bellevue – Mathematics Instructor
Dale Hoffman, a 27-year member of the Bellevue College faculty, was honored for his creativity and resourcefulness in developing the college’s mathematics program and supporting its students. Recently, Hoffman designed a common final exam program for developmental mathematics classes and helped create the Lebon Prize and Outstanding Calculus Student Award, both of which highlight and encourage student success. Hoffman also has published numerous articles on mathematics, a book on calculus and calculus instructional software. In nominating him, Hoffman’s students spoke of his humor and his ability to teach even the most math-averse students.
● Xiao (Winnie) Li, Bellevue – Instructor in the Business Administration and Computer Science transfer programs
Winnie Li was honored for the enormous amount of extra work she has done to benefit her students. Although she has been a member of the Bellevue College faculty less than five years, Li has produced over 40 short videos to illustrate important concepts and developed interactive electronic lecture notes, all while making herself available for individual student consultations for 20 hours each week. Li’s efforts have increased student success in her classes to over 90 percent.
● Jean Pauley, Seattle – Instructor, English as a Second Language
Jean Pauley, an 11-year Bellevue College instructor, was honored for excellence in helping her English as a Second Language students succeed. She not only teaches language, but also offers practical ways to engage with the community, to get jobs and to adjust to a new culture. Pauley encourages students to identify and analyze specific, practical problems they encounter in daily life, and then to develop strategies to solve them.
● Molly Blume, Issaquah – Part-Time Instructor, Business Management
Molly Blume was honored for her effectiveness in representing Bellevue College in the business and educational communities, and for her work in developing innovative programs. Blume has given presentations to numerous industry and professional organizations. She was also part of the Bellevue College financial education team that partnered with the Washington Financial Literacy Public-Private Partnership to develop a nation-wide model for teaching students about financial preparedness.
● Colin Beardsley, Seattle – Bookstore Clerk
Colin Beardsley, a five-year Bellevue College employee, was honored for his effectiveness in building the college’s Business Center Bookstore into an efficient source of supplies for students in the college’s Art and Interior Design programs. In nominating Beardsley, faculty noted that he not only can be counted on to always have what students need at the moment, but also has packaged the items into kits for specific classes, simplifying the entire process for students and faculty alike.
● Liz Anderson, Woodinville – Director, Distance Education
Liz Anderson, a 20-year Bellevue College employee, was honored for her part in building the Distance Education program from a few hundred enrollments, largely in video telecourses, into a major online educational option for students. Now the largest in the state, Bellevue College’s Distance Education program serves more than 9,000 enrollments every quarter. Anderson was also recognized for working with Washington State University to enable Bellevue College students to transition easily to WSU’s online bachelor’s degree programs.
● Teresa Descher, Kirkland – Supervisor, Customer Accounts & Cashiering
An 11-year college employee, Teresa Descher was honored for turning the college’s Cashiers Office into an exceptionally supportive service for students. For example, a few years ago, student advisers inquired if there were any financial resources to help students who did not have sufficient funds to obtain regular meals. Finding none, Descher created one: a college food-coupon program, initially funded through a Mini-Grant from the Bellevue College Foundation and now supported by donations from the Cashiering staff and other college employees.
Directed by a board of 30 community volunteers, led this year by Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna, of Bellevue, the Bellevue College Foundation is a non-profit organization that receives and manages individual and corporate gifts on behalf of Bellevue College.
The Foundation awards more than $100,000 annually in merit- and need-based scholarships, and since its founding in 1978 has raised more than $20 million to support students and program enhancements at Bellevue College.
