Four exceptional Indian River State College (IRSC) professors were surprised with Endowed Teaching Chairs from the Indian River State College Foundation in recognition of their outstanding teaching and to support new initiatives benefiting students and the community.

The recipients are Dr. Anne Drabczyk, Assistant Professor, Health Science Department with the Basil L. King Endowed Teaching Chair in Health Science; Dr. Joseph Palencik, Assistant Professor, Humanities Department, with the Patterson Endowed Teaching Chair in Humanities; Dr. Jodi Robson, Professor and Director of the Institute for Academic Excellence, with the  Susan H. Johnson Endowed Teaching Chair (Any Discipline) and Dr. Maria Salome E. Davis, Professor, Social Sciences Department, with the Marilyn C. Link Endowed Teaching Chair in Financial Management.

“Because quality of instruction is fundamental to IRSC’s mission, we feel that it is very important to recognize these outstanding faculty members and reward them with the resources to implement projects that will benefit students and the community and further contribute toward the excellence of the College,” said Dr. Edwin R. Massey, IRSC President.

Dr. Massey and more than 30 IRSC administrators, faculty, and students surprised the recipients with balloons, flowers, and a miniature wooden “chair” for the surprise presentation. The recipients will be rewarded with an annual stipend of $6,000 a year for three consecutive years; $4,000 to implement their initiatives and improve instruction in their field of expertise and $2,000 in recognition of excellence in teaching.  The Endowed Teaching Chair program is made possible by contributions to the IRSC Foundation.

Dr. Anne Drabczyk will create a Healthcare Management Competency Co-Curricular focused on helping students in IRSC’s Health Care Management Program by including professional development service learning activities into their curriculum. 

Dr. Joseph Palencik will develop a reconceived model for service learning that utilizes a service-based instruction that places an emphasis on hands-on experiences, students will benefit from classes that fuse in-class learning, pathway completion, and career development. 

Dr. Jodi Robson will create the FACE Program, Fellowships for Advancing Colleagues to Excellence, which will engage faculty in active learning strategies that support student success and expand professional development opportunities for faculty at IRSC.

Dr. Maria Salome E. Davis will create the IRSC Center for Financial Literacy.   The Center’s mission is provide financial literacy educational programs, activities, and materials to assist students and the community in making informed financial decision-making.