WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Three Pennsylvania College of Technology faculty members were honored during Spring 2018 Commencement ceremonies for their outstanding teaching abilities.
Joanna K. Flynn, associate professor of mathematics, was presented with the highest honor accorded to Penn College faculty: the Veronica M. Muzic Master Teacher Award.
Two other faculty members received Excellence in Teaching Award recognition: Edwin G. Owens, associate professor and department head for mathematics, and Thomas J. Mulfinger, associate professor of building construction technology.
“Teaching has always been at the heart of this institution’s mission,” President Davie Jane Gilmour said. “Joanna, Ed and Tom represent the very best of their profession and are most deserving of these tributes.”
Since the inception of the Distinguished Teaching Awards in 1982, 107 honors have been bestowed upon Penn College faculty (32 Master Teacher Awards and 75 Excellence in Teaching Awards).
Flynn, an employee of the college since 2003, holds a master’s degree in operations research and applied statistics, as well as a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from the University of Miami.
She was a 2015 co-recipient of the President’s Award for Outstanding Assessment of Student Learning.
Flynn also spearheaded the Revised Core Education Curriculum, is a member of the Quality Through Assessment Committee, and serves as a representative to the faculty association. She has served as an assistant dean, department head, and director of mathematics and general education.
Comments from Flynn’s nominating documentation include:
- “Joanna clearly has mastery of her subject material. I often send students working on research projects to her for feedback on data analysis, and every single student I’ve sent to her has raved about Joanna’s ability to make the complex seem simple and doable.”
- “Not doing well in math can also wreak havoc on a student’s self-confidence. While students say it directly, the fact (that) they continually seek out her classes is evidence of the fact that Joanna motivates through positive, constructive action, rather than through punitive measures.”
- “Joanna is the most professional, caring and enthusiastic colleague I've ever worked with. She is an asset to the students and the institution.”