Human Resources

Total Commitment to Student Success Award

Jackson College wants to recognize the many ways our employees make a positive impact on students. In keeping with the College’s Total Commitment to Student Success, the Jackson College Foundation will fund a $500 TCS² Award and trophy to one employee making a difference in the life of a student(s). This honor will be awarded at each Convocation to the deserving recipient. Take a few minutes and honor a fellow employee for the amazing work he/she does, recognizing efforts that support student success.

A special thank you to the Jackson College Foundation for funding this award, acknowledging the amazing employees at Jackson College who are recognized for their Total Commitment to Student Success.

Nomination Form

Award Recipients

• Spring 2024 – Tina May

  

  Tina is the customer service model that we need to have at Jackson College. Tina is always warm and welcoming on the phone or in person. She can be a listening ear for students and is always looking for resources for her students. Tina even assists with the BUA and FinAid office while working at her center!

  Tina works with everyone that comes through the LISD tech center. She has worked with housing students, homeless students, high school students, parents, and K-12 partners. She treats every student the same and works tirelessly to assist them and provide resources to students who come to her center.

  Tina leverages the resources of Jackson College and works to provide them to our students. Tina is always willing to assist our partners at the LISD Tech center so that our internal and external stakeholders are taken care of.

  Tina is what TCS2 looks like. Every student is given thorough care, regardless of modality. On the phone she ensures that all questions are answered, in person she ensures that the student has everything they need to be successful. If she doesn’t know the answer she gets to the person that does and follows up with the student. Her willingness to assist Financial Aid, Business Office, take CEP phone calls, while maintaining her center shows that she is always willing to do what is needed to work with our students.

• Spring 2023 – Erica Sheldon

  

  Erica works tirelessly to ensure students are taken care of, she notices when students have difficulties and identifies ways to assist them. She been a shining example of courtesy, work ethic, compassion and empathy. She is always available to address student needs and goes out of her way to meet with students at every turn. I have watched her celebrate students success with them, help navigate failures. She has cried with them, laughed with them, been the voice of reason and understanding.

  Erica is an integral part of the “no hunger campus” in that she makes sure that every student that comes into the dining area gets a meal whether they have meal plans or not. She is the one to make sure they get a coupon if they can’t pay. I feel like a lot of the students see her as a mother figure.

  She still has former students to this day that check in with her to let her know how they are doing. The impact she has through her overall actions of caring for students in every situation resonates during and after their time at Jackson college. Erica truly does inspire and transform lives daily.

• Fall 2022 – Greg Green

  

  Greg is a multi-media specialist, so his engagements with students is limited, yet he gives of his time to meet them—to talk with them—to listen to their stories about their work, both in college and in the community projects in which they engage. This is not his job, and yet it is the job of every employee at JC. He lives the College mission and values; they come naturally to him. Greg has worked on almost every project the Heritage Center has done, in some capacity, over the past 15 years. He makes sure that the sound, the visuals, all of the technical parts of the students presentation is quality. He wants the students to shine—again, he is always in the background and hardly acknowledged, yet we all benefit from his experience and skills. He is a genuine hero at JC

• Winter 2022 – Megan Tolford

  

  Megan is the first person that you see as you enter the JC Health Clinic and due to the pandemic, the health clinic services have been utilized now more than ever. Megan is always smiling and ready to help any student or staff member that walks through the door. Megan is always willing to answer questions that the students have, walk them to a class if they have lost their way, or make a schedule change so that the Health Clinic can fit them on the schedule in between their classes.

  Megan always goes above and beyond. If a student needs to come in early for an appointment, or after hours, Megan finds a way to accommodate their school/work schedule, so they are not only getting their health care needs met but their academic needs as well.

  Megan works as a medical assistant at the JC Health Clinic, but she also teaches classes within the medical assisting program here at JC and has been a clinical instructor for phlebotomy. Megan cares deeply about the health, well being and education of all the students here at JC and she has proven time and time again that she is committed to their success not only in the classroom but their health care as well. She always strives to be the best employee/coworker that she can be and she has risen to the occasion throughout this pandemic. Throughout these last 2 years more and more work has been sent Megan’s way and she has found a way to not only accomplish her work, but do it well. Megan performs so many roles at the Health Clinic including, front desk, medical assistant and management of supplies. She is 100% committed to Jackson College, the students and the staff. She is an exemplary employee that deserves to be recognized for her efforts!

• Fall 2021 – Jeff Whipple

   

  While campus was closed to most during COVID, Jeff was here walking classrooms, stocking PPE, setting up a checkpoint, putting up directional signage, answering phone calls and coordinating vaccine clinics. There is not a single space on campus that Jeff has not walked and made a safe learning environment or workplace. He met with department leads to walk through the spaces and make the environment work from both a safety perspective and learning perspective. It would have been easy to just say things weren’t possible, but he took the time to look at things from every perspective, sometimes redoing spaces over again as restrictions and class needs changed.

  During the college shut down Jeff met countless hours with the Deans, RTF, students, local authorities and hospitals to see not only what the college could do for our students but also what they could do for the community. Jeff was at the forefront of making the on-campus vaccine clinics possible for the college. Not only did this opportunity provide a safer campus and provide vaccines at a time it was hard to find them, but it also provided for many of us a way to see that someday we may be able to get back to normal. While local hospitals were getting overwhelmed Jeff helped make housing possible for their staff to stay here and keep their families safe. Jeff found and procured PPE, thermometers and protocols to allow for classes to still happen for our Allied Health and Dental Clinics. The checkpoint and his oversight of security and safety during this time helped not only make campus safe, but also made it one of the safest places to be around.

• Spring 2021 – Steven Tuckey

  

  Steve is one of the most innovative faculty members using Zoom for online classes. He is going above and beyond to utilize group projects, labs, and more in Zoom with synchronous sessions. His practices are dynamic and honestly amazing, they capture students’ imaginations and move them beyond what they thought was possible in an on line class format.

  Steve also works with Supplemental Instruction leaders program. This has a large impact on the success of our students in classes. When he is working with training the SI leaders, he is constantly pushing them to think about their work with students in new and interesting ways. He challenges them to reach out to students, have empathy with where the students are coming from, and help the students connect with their SI Leaders. In that way, not only is he there for the SI Leaders (who are students themselves) but is helping them be there for other students. So his student impact is exponentially greater than other faculty members.

  Steve is very committed to the success of our students, our faculty and staff, and JC as a whole College. He makes the College as a whole a much better place and whether students realize it or not, he is impacting their teaching and learning experiences on a whole host of levels – all for the better.

• Winter 2021 – Sandy Dicesare

  

  Sandy consistently goes above and beyond for all students. Daily she exhibits patience, consistency, and perseverance for our students in need. Our students know that she is willing to talk them through a bad day no matter how long it takes. The students know that if they have a question she doesn’t know the answer too she will make it her first priority to find someone who can.
  Sandy has become a reliable source for many of our struggling students. In this virtual time, being able to have someone reliable to answer is crucial.

  Sandy has demonstrated for the last 35 years a consistent commitment to student success. It is inherent in her moral code to place students first. She proves to her team members daily that when we place students first that our work is more fulfilling. She encourages and coaches other staff members to make the daily commitment to Jackson College’s Total Comment to Student Success.

• Fall 2020 – Zak McNitt

   

  

  Zak McNitt helps Corrections Education Program staff work through the unique situations encountered with a population not physically on campus, helping students so we can best serve them. Zak has presented transfer workshops for CEP students and assisted with registrations at multiple facilities. He is approachable; staff, faculty and students benefit from his willingness to work through issues, offering his expertise and truly listening. He also works patiently guiding staff through exceptional situations with students. He ensures that Jackson College is following all the guidelines necessary to maintain our credentials and high-quality programming while maintaining respect for individual differences. He maintains high standards for our institution, for himself, staff and students, clearly demonstrating his Total Commitment to Success. Congratulations, Zak, for all you do!

• Fall 2020 – Jennifer Dobbs

   

  

  Jennifer Dobbs has been incredibly productive during the pandemic. She created an online New Employee Orientation program, assisted the Jackson College Foundation with the COVID-19 Emergency Request program for students and employees (an offshoot of the Harriet Myer Fund), and has been the driving force on the Reintegration Task Force. She essentially brought together Reintegration Plan and then, combined with the individual department protocols, developed plans and protocols to prototype that allowed students back on campus for lab work and our Ready, Set, Jet! program. This work was definitely outside of the scope of her job responsibilities even though she kept her duties within HR all moving effortlessly. She exemplifies the College’s Total Commitment to Student Success. Congratulations, Jen, and thank you!

• Spring 2020 – Sara Main

  Sara cares deeply about her students and is fully committed to teaching her heart out to support student success. She goes above and beyond every day.

  Sara is one of the most student-centered faculty we have at JC, and that is saying a lot, given how student-centered our faculty are! She is always seeking out faculty professional development to be even more of a champion for students. After visiting San Jacinto College, she worked closely together with a colleague to design and implement a groundbreaking initiative in the math department of blending developmental MAT 040 with college-level MAT 130. The model emphasizes Inquiry Based Learning and building a positive community of learners who help one another, support each other, challenge each other, as they grow together throughout a term. What results is a positive learning experience for students and faculty alike. She cares about students, and it not only shows, it radiates!

• Winter 2020 – Sandra Phelan

   

  

  Sandra Phelan

  Winter 2020

  Congratulations to Sandra Phelan, operations coordinator, recipient of the winter 2020 TCS2 Award! Part of her duties include coordinating the annual Dick Wendt Holiday Raffle that benefits the Harriet Myer Student Emergency Fund. She also coordinates requests for students from the fund, meets with students and forwards requests on to the Jackson College Foundation. Thank you for your Total Commitment to Student Success!

• Fall 2019 – Johnny Blagg

  

  Johnny Blagg

  Fall 2019

  Johnny is here for the students. Every day. It is the reason he comes in. It is clear in his approach to getting his job done. He makes sure that he knows the schedule of the gym, classroom and weight room to develop a plan for approaching his work for the day. He wants to get the building as clean as possible without being disruptive to the flow of people through our doors. He takes time to get to know our students, and makes them feel like this is their home. He stays connected with them even after they leave Jackson College. He is a big part of the student athlete experience at Jackson College and is so very appreciated.

• Spring 2019 – Sara Cornell

  

  Sara Cornell

  Spring 2019

  Sara demonstrates Total Commitment to Student Success every day that she serves Jackson College. Sara spends her time meeting with students, planning the HCEMC Colloquia every week, attending committee meetings, seeking out professional development opportunities, as well as volunteering in the community. Sara has done a great job transitioning to the HCEMC advisor while maintaining her role as a Student Success Navigator. Everything Sara does to serve Jackson College is a step to ensure our students will be successful. Sara is very passionate about her students’ success and that shows in the work she does every day. Sara has taken on new roles to ensure Total Commitment to Student Success on different levels. Her work in the Early Middle College is proof that she makes a positive impact to Jackson College and the Hillsdale County Community every day.

• Winter 2019 – Antoine Breedlove

  

  Antoine Breedlove

  Winter 2019

  Antoine Breedlove, director, Multicultural Affairs, understands that relationships are important when helping students. Exhibiting compassion and understanding, he creates an atmosphere that is safe, nurturing and unbiased, based on his own college experience. He has provided many opportunities for students, such as initiating a flag football league that involved 43 students. Students had fun and enjoyed a positive experience that taught them character, teamwork and respect for others. He has interceded for students with faculty and assisted students in completing homework. Breedlove has walked students into the Center for Student Success, navigator offices, ombudsman’s office and the Health Clinic to make it easier for them to get the services they need. When a student needed to get a prescription filled at pharmacy, he drove them to Meijer. Breedlove initiated a Barbershop Mentoring program that brings a licensed barber to campus twice a month. Students may pay $10 per haircut, but if they attend Center for Student Success for two hours or more, they receive a free haircut. In the Summer Jets program, he mentors incoming students, listening to their challenging, making sure they have food when they are hungry, even taking them to jobs off-campus when they don’t have transportation.

• Fall 2018 – Darren Chase

  

  Darren Chase

  Fall 2018

  Darren works with great dedication in Jackson College’s International Student Institute.  Darren creates a welcoming atmosphere that makes students want to spend time visiting and hanging out.  Darren takes a personal interest in the International students assisting them with daily tasks beyond education such as banking, grocery shopping, overcoming language barriers, health care needs and planning fun engaging activities for the students outside of the College.

• Spring 2018 – Michael Coy

  

  Michael Coy

  Spring 2018

  Michael’s commitment to his department, the Arts, Jackson College and to students has enriched the lives of JC students as well as the Jackson College community.  Michael quietly goes Above and Beyond because he sees what needs to be done and just does it without fanfare or recognition.  Michael demonstrated this with a Student Employee in the Theatre Department.  Mentoring and guiding the student, often on his own time, to the point that she has moved on to a State University to pursue her degree in Stage Craft.  For these reasons, and many others, Michael clearly demonstrates Total Commitment to Student Success.