Dear Campus,

It is my extreme honor to extend congratulations to Beverly Shaw, Professor of Nursing, recipient of this year's Arizona Western College Teacher of the Year award (also known as the Teacher Excellence Award).

Center for Teaching Effectiveness Director Scott Donnelly informs me that Beverly was nominated for this honor by her colleagues. I am proud to announce that Beverly will be recognized both at the Teacher of the Year BBQ and at the Yuma County Education Foundation Teacher of the Year Banquet on April 22.

One of Beverly's award responsibilities is selecting a student who is a high school senior or a student already attending AWC for a scholarship covering in-state tuition and fees. This scholarship may be renewed for a total of up to four semesters. The student scholarship recipient must be a resident within the AWC District of Yuma or La Paz County and must be a U.S. citizen. The Beverly Shaw Presidential Teacher of the Year Scholarship award has the potential to change the life of a deserving but financially struggling student.

I enjoy making the funds available for this scholarship, but even more, I enjoy the positive reaction of the deserving faculty member who receives this significant award. Our honored faculty also gets the satisfaction of knowing that she is hand picking a student for a scholarship that will make a life-long impact in a student's educational and career path.

Last year's honoree, George Montopoli, professor of mathematics, chose Maria Martinez, a student at Gila Ridge, to be the recipient of the scholarship. In 2012 Steven Lund, Professor of English as a Second Language, chose Yesenia Melendez, a student from Parker. I will keep you posted as we move forward with Beverly's 2014 student recipient choice.

Please join with me in congratulating Bev on her well-deserved recognition for the work she does at Arizona Western College for our students.

Dr. Mayle

photo courtesy of AWC Photo Services