UIS Professor Receives Online Faculty Award

At its annual meeting on December 10th, the University Center of Lake County honored four faculty members for outstanding teaching. Dr. Elizabeth (Lisa) Saunders of the University of Illinois at Springfield received the Outstanding Online Faculty Award. Dr. Michael Carl of Northeastern Illinois University, Dr. Mary-Margaret Harrington of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Dr. Ken Kessler of the Chicago School of Professional Psychology received Outstanding Faculty Awards recognizing their teaching in Lake County classrooms.

The award winners were selected from student nominations. Selection committee chair Lynn Evans said, “The quality of our academic programs is, in some ways, the life blood of the University Center. As evident in the students’ nomination testimonials, these most-deserving faculty members are changing students’ lives.”

Saunders is Coordinator of the MA in Educational Leadership, Master Teaching & Learning concentration online program. A resident of Peoria, she both teaches and advises in the UIS program. One student nominator wrote, “She seems like a mom in that she is ever vigilant in her mother hen instincts in creating an online learning community for us . . . .I am often amazed at how genuine her degree of concern is for all of us.”

Carl, a Libertyville resident, is a Professor of Educational Foundations & Administration who was cited by one student for his “apparent joy in preparing us to be successful leaders in education. He treats us with consideration as working professionals and his assignments are relevant to real life situations.” Carl has taught at NEIU since 1993 and at several Lake County sites.

Harrington is the founding Coordinator of SIUC’s Lake County Elementary Education Program, a program that allows working adults to retrain as certified teachers. In the words of one student, “Through role-playing, cooperative learning, peer evaluation, observation and guidance she is transforming her diverse class into teachers. . . .She is our model, our leader and our inspiration.” She resides in Batavia.

Kessler, of Mundelein, is Associate Professor and Coordinator of Suburban Program Development for the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. His forensic psychology students value his experience in private practice and as an expert witness. Wrote one, “Dr. Kessler demonstrates his knowledge during every class and every encounter you have with him. He uses tremendous amounts of supporting materials. Through real life examples, he brings the world of psychology into the classroom.”

The University Center of Lake County is a consortium of 16 public and private colleges and universities from around the state that have joined forces to bring bachelor’s completion and master’s programs and professional development opportunities to Lake County. For more information, see www.ucenter.org or call 847/777-6990.