Published: June 30, 2009 07:43 pm         

Ivy Tech presents instructional excellence award to Terre Haute prof

A Terre Haute assistant professor of communications and theater who describes his classroom philosophy as a “teacher’s stew” of ideas has been selected by Ivy Tech Community College as this year’s recipient of the Glenn W. Sample Award for Excellence in Instruction. The award is Ivy Tech’s highest honor for a faculty member.

The selection of Bryan Kirby was announced recently at the close of a two-day event for recipients of the college’s annual President’s Awards to outstanding faculty. From that field of 14 regional winners, one is chosen for the Glenn Sample Award. The honor includes a $1,000 stipend for instructional equipment and a $5,000 personal development grant.

When Kirby joined the Ivy Tech faculty in 1997, he immediately began tailoring his classes to suit the needs of today’s students. He applies a broad range of approaches in the classroom, from contextual learning and practical application of concepts to service learning and creative adaptation of material.

Kirby holds a master’s degree in communication theory from Indiana State University and a bachelor’s degree in communication and psychology from Olivet Nazarene College. He worked in public relations prior to his teaching career and is active in the Community Theater of Terre Haute. At Ivy Tech, he has contributed course revisions, developed statewide course outlines of record and was primary developer of the statewide COMM 101 online course, a project that challenged him to demonstrate that a public speaking class could be delivered online.

The Sample Award is named in honor of Ivy Tech’s fourth president, who also had served on its first board of trustees, co-founded Ivy Tech Foundation, and was the Foundation board’s first chairman. Ivy Tech established the award shortly after Sample’s death in 1980.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly-accredited statewide community college system with more than 130,000 students enrolled annually. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state’s engine of work force development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community, along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.