NEWS
from
Central Connecticut State University
Honored as a "Leadership Institution" by the
Association of American Colleges & Universities
Media contact:
Bart Fisher,
Associate
Director of
Marketing and Communications
(860) 832-1624;
Fisherb@ccsu.edu
Olga Petkova
Honored with CCSU’s 2007-2008 Excellence in
Teaching Award;
Ruth Lentini
Recipient from Adjunct Faculty
NEW BRITAIN (November 15,
2007) - Central Connecticut State University has
honored Dr. Olga Petkova,
professor in the Department of Management
Information Systems, School of Business, with
the prestigious 2007-2008 Excellence in Teaching
Award.
An outstanding practitioner
and academic in the field of Information
Technology for some 29 years, of which eleven
were involved in the development and research of
software for industrial applications, Petkova
has brought her practical experience to the
classroom where students and colleagues agree
she is an exemplary educator. “Teaching is a
rewarding and joyful experience. It is a deep
satisfaction to have the opportunity to open the
doors of knowledge to students and to see them
successful in their careers,” states Petkova who
joined CCSU in 2001. “My belief is that teaching
at the university level should be done as a
cooperative activity between the students and
the professor. I see my responsibilities as a
facilitator of the students’ learning process
and as an advisor in their discovery of
knowledge.”
At a ceremony on the New
Britain campus Nov. 9, CCSU Provost and Vice
President for Academic Affairs Carl Lovitt
announced that Dr. Petkova was the top award
recipient.
For the second year in the award’s history, an
adjunct faculty member was also recognized. Ruth Lentini, in the Reading and Language Arts
department of the School of Education &
Professional Studies, was honored with an
Excellence in Teaching Award among adjunct
faculty.
CCSU President Jack Miller acknowledged the many
superb educators on the CCSU faculty named as
Excellence in Teaching finalists and
semifinalists, along with those listed on a
Teaching Excellence Honor Roll. Each was
individually honored at the ceremony.
Award finalists were Candace Barrington,
associate professor of English, Philip Halloran,
professor of mathematical sciences, James
Mulrooney, associate professor of biomolecular
sciences, Olga Petkova, professor of management
information systems, and Ruth Lentini, adjunct
on the Reading and Languages Arts faculty.
Selection of honorees is based on a
comprehensive evaluation process with
nominations coming from students and alumni;
full- and-part-time faculty members are
eligible. The honorees are widely acknowledged
by colleagues and students for dedication to
teaching that inspires extraordinary learning.
Petkova has authored more than 95 journal and
conference papers, 27 of which are pedagogical
publications reflecting her teaching, curriculum
development and assessment experiences. She
holds the degrees of Doctor of Commerce
(Informatics), University of Pretoria;
Bachelor of Education,
University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South
Africa; and M.Sc. in Technical Cybernetics
(includes a B.Sc.) from the Technical University
Brno, Czech Republic. A
native of Bulgaria, she has taught in
Africa at the University of Natal, University of
Durban- Westville, Durban University of
Technology in South Africa and at the University
of Zimbabwe. She is a resident of New Britain.
Dr. Petkova is donating her $1,000 prize for MIS
student scholarships.
Adjunct Excellence in
Teaching Award
Ruth Lentini is a former teacher in the
Ellington Public Schools and currently a
learning consultant for the South Windsor Public
Schools. She holds the undergraduate (elementary
education) and master’s (reading) degrees from
CCSU and is a graduate of Central’s 6th
year certificate program. She resides in Durham,
CT.
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