Midland College faculty receive the Dr. Stan Jacobs Teaching Excellence AwardNovember 19, 2021

On Friday, November 19, 2022, Midland College (MC) awarded two professors with the Dr. Stan Jacobs Teaching Excellence Award at a ceremony and celebration of teaching in the Scharbauer Student Center Carrasco Room. 

Thanks to a generous endowment started by Dr. Jacobs, retired Associate Vice President of Instruction, Betty Clements and Norman Cremeans each received a cash award, and their name will be inscribed on a plaque in the Pevehouse Administration Building.  Clements is professor and department chair of Communications; Cremeans is professor of Automotive Technology and Diesel Technology.

The Teaching Excellence Awards are a long-standing tradition at Midland College, an institution that prides itself on quality teaching and a superior faculty.  In fact, current MC President Dr. Steve Thomas won the award twice when he taught psychology courses at the college in the 1980s.  

“The core foundation of Midland College is teaching and learning,” Dr. Thomas said.  “MC is one of the best community colleges in the state because of our outstanding faculty.”

This year, the award name was changed to the Dr. Stan Jacobs Teaching Excellence Award to recognize Jacobs’ gift to the college which increased the award amount from $1,500 to $5,000.  As he celebrates 50 years of teaching and as MC celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022, Dr. Jacobs decided it was the perfect time to start this endowment. 

“Teaching excellence is important to any institution you feel a part of, and I feel a part of MC,” Jacobs said.  “What better investment is there than one in the health of an institution like MC!”

As he looks back on his life, Dr. Jacobs said he is most proud of his tenure at MC. He never dreamed he would be at the college for 50 years.  

“The college kept growing and good things kept happening, so I never thought of leaving,” he said. 

Each year two faculty—one from academic transfer programs and one from career/technical programs—receive the award, which is given to professors who have made significant contributions to the intellectual life of the college through innovation in the classroom and commitment to students. 

Photo: Left to right, Dr. Steve Thomas, Midland College President, Betty Clements and Norman Cremeans, 2021 teaching excellence winners and Dr. Stan Jacobs, award benefactor