Public Relations
Harrell, Snarr selected as NWACC’s recipients of NISOD Awards
BENTONVILLE (Monday, Dec. 10, 2007) – Instructors Curtis Harrell and Jamin Snarr have been selected as NWACC’s recipients of the 2008 National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Awards.
The Excellence Awards tradition allows NISOD the distinct privilege of honoring many of the world’s best teachers and leaders in higher education.
Curtis Harrell
 Harrell was recommended from the Division of Communication and Arts.
Curtis (pictured right) has been a full-time faculty member since January of 2005 although he began teaching as associate faculty in the fall of 2003.
He teaches both developmental and transfer-level English courses, and it was his expertise in online course delivery that led him to develop the first online developmental courses for the college.
In addition to these courses, Curtis has developed and continues to teach English Composition I and II via compressed interactive video (CIV) to students in area high schools.
Curtis’s willingness to embrace technology has also led him to create and maintain the department website for English which features an archive of course materials for faculty to consult and share.
He also regularly consults with his colleagues to assist them with online content, be it updating a faculty homepage or aiding in WebCT course management.
He has recently been awarded an Innovation grant to further develop a text editor that integrates the texts used in the department with WebCT.
“I especially want to recognize his assistance with peers on web pages, in class activities and mentoring of new faculty,” said Dr. Anita Jones, Dean of Communication and Arts. “His student evaluations as well as his peer evaluations are excellent.”
Curtis has managed to integrate this love of technology with his background in creative writing. He has published many seminal works of hyper-poetry, some of which are taught in graduate programs around the nation, like the University of Houston.
He has been a reader for the past two Spring Arts Festivals at NWACC, sharing his poetry and prose, and he is also one of the co-sponsors for the campus literary club, Insatiable Ink. Curtis also is the poetry editor of the campus literary magazine, VISIONS, an international e-zine that he and Tim McGinn last year received an NWACC Innovations Grant to create.
Curtis has also contributed to the interdisciplinary activities of the division. He participated in International Education Week and served as a performer for the International Day held at Bentonville Park. In fact, it is not unusual to find Curtis, banjo on knee, in Bogle plaza on Friday afternoons holding informal performances with faculty, staff, and students. He often finds time to donate his energies to entertain Kid’s College or other gatherings around campus.
“It is a pleasure to recommend Curtis for the Excellence award at NISOD,” Dr. Anita Jones said.
Jamin Snarr
Snarr was nominated by Division of Health Professions.
He is Program Director and Lead Faculty for NWACC Emergency Medical Sciences Program.
 Jamin (pictured right) has been with the College since its inception and during that time has developed what is now a nationally recognized emergency medical sciences program that now serves over 200 students annually.
Students in both the emergency medical technician and paramedic tracks continue to post national exam pass rates that are consistently the highest in the state and nation.
Over the past nine years of the program, 98 percent of paramedic students were successful on passing the national board exam with all but three students doing so on the first attempt.
That is compared to the national average of 64 percent and the state average of 52 percent.
“Under Jamin’s leadership NWACC became the first nationally accredited paramedic training site in Arkansas gaining full accreditation status on the initial site review,” said Dr. Monte J. Gagliardi, Dean of Health Professions.
“Jamin not only provides outstanding teaching and mentoring for his students and faculty, but also excels in community service to the state and region.”
He is a member of the Governor’s EMS advisory council, receiving ongoing appointments from the past three Arkansas governors.
He has remained active in the Arkansas EMS Association where he has chaired many committees and task forces.
He continues to serve the citizens in Northwest Arkansas as a paramedic team leader for Central EMS of Fayetteville, typically logging over 48 hours per month on evenings and weekends where he leads a team of EMS, Fire, and First Responders providing advanced level emergency care to our citizens.
“Jamin routinely requires the current class of paramedic students to join him during those shifts,” Monte said. “Thus, providing cutting edge, intensive instruction and mentoring, during real life and death emergencies while simultaneously providing outstanding emergency care.”
Jamin is a regional faculty member of the American Heart Association and holds instructor certificates in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Advanced Pediatric Life Support, Advanced Trauma Life Support, and Advanced Medical Life Support.
As a master of scenario-based teaching methodologies, Jamin is frequently recruited by nurses and physicians to provide continuing education in our region.
“It is our privilege to nominate this outstanding NWACC faculty member and public servant for this award,” Monte said.
About NISOD
Since its inception in 1978, NISOD has emphasized the importance of teaching and leadership excellence in institutions of higher education.
NISOD works to serve, engage, and inspire teachers and leaders through its conferences, publications, web services, partnerships, programs, and more.
NISOD hosted its first Excellence Awards ceremony in 1998, honoring and naming the individuals featured in the study as recipients of the NISOD Excellence Award. The response to that ceremony was so positive that it decided to begin what has become a celebratory tradition.
For questions/comments on this content, please contact jhall@nwacc.edu
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