Four Local Educators to be Honored at UC s December Commencement Ceremony

• A high-school Spanish teacher, back on the job, after battling a severe illness
• A high-school biology teacher whose love of science is contagious
• A business professional who became an instructor because he wanted to better his own workforce
• A high-school government and history teacher, who, with her class, witnessed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as the news unfolded on television

All will be honored with UC’s Cincinnati USA Outstanding Educator Award as the University of Cincinnati celebrates its third-annual all-university Commencement Ceremony at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 8, in Fifth Third Arena at Shoemaker Center.

The educators were nominated by soon-to-graduate UC students who wanted to recognize a K-12 educator who had a lasting impression on their pursuit of a college degree. Teachers and students will meet again, first at a special brunch with UC President Nancy L. Zimpher that will take place at 11:15 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 8, in the Faculty Club Banquet Room in Room 850 of the Richard E. Lindner Center. At the afternoon Commencement Ceremony, each of the four teachers will be presented with the award and a $1,000 scholarship to present to a student of their choosing who’s planning to enter UC in the 2008-2009 academic year.

Earlier in the fall, future graduates from the Cincinnati USA region were invited by President Zimpher to honor the educator who fueled their passion and pursuit of a higher education. The recipients were selected from 27 nominations reviewed by a UC committee that included representation from the Office of the President, UC faculty, staff and students.

The recipients of the 2007 Cincinnati USA Outstanding Educator Award are

Neil Frank

– The Glen Este High School teacher has taught Spanish for 28 years. His nominator, 21-year-old Becky Bradford of Eastgate, also aspires to be a teacher. After a battle with lymphoma that forced him off the job last year, Frank is celebrating a return to the classroom and an award that he says he finds very humbling. “I just go to school and do the best I can, and that’s what I want to do. I know I’m doing the job that I was put on this earth to do.”

Carol Lehman

– The Mason High School teacher is a graduate of the UC College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, and has led the classroom for 17 years. Her nominator, 22-year-old Jennifer Schuster, was a freshman at Colerain High School when Lehman’s excitement about the world of biology spread through her classroom. “When I was entering high school, I was more math-oriented and I viewed science as merely a required course. I didn’t enjoy it at first, but after seeing Ms. Lehman’s excitement and passion for it, I became fascinated with biology,” says Schuster.

Tom O’Neill

– The Butler Tech instructor has been teaching IT courses for seven years. UC senior Josh Hays says it was Mr. O’Neill’s satellite course at Ross High School that changed Josh’s life and directly led to his enrollment in the University of Cincinnati’s College of Applied Science, where he’s a double major in electrical and computer engineering technology. “He leads by example. We were held to the highest standards in every aspect of our education.”

Kathy Whitsett

– The government teacher at Wyoming High School “…is one of the most memorable people I had as a teacher,” says Barry Shaw Winston, who is graduating from UC in December. It was during her class that he watched the events of Sept. 11, 2001 unfold on television. “She presented class materials from a standpoint that cultivated critical thinking. We learned how to analyze the materials beyond the textbooks and to think for ourselves,” says Winston.

UC’s December Commencement ceremony, marking its third year, is a celebration that exemplifies the UC|21 strategic plan to place students at the center of the university. All of the marching graduates will have their names announced at the ceremony and will be personally congratulated by President Nancy L. Zimpher. The ceremony recognizes graduates who finished their degrees last summer or this fall.

UC Commencement Web site

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