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

The recipients are Ms. Ruby Jefferson, Counselor, Mueller Campus with the Endowed Chair in Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Dr. Kimberlie Massnick, Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice with the Richardson Endowed Teaching Chair in Business and Entrepreneurship; Dr. Taylor Kilman, Assistant Professor, Mathematics with the J. Douglas Stephens Endowed Teaching Chair in Technology;  Dr. Helen Wiersma-Koch, Assistant Professor, Biology with the Banack Family Partnership Endowed Teaching Chair in Agriculture; and Dr. Kyle Freund, Assistant Professor, Social Sciences with the BankAtlantic Foundation Endowed Teaching Chair (any discipline).

“Through the Endowed Teaching Chair program, IRSC recognizes outstanding faculty for teaching excellence that directly correlates with student success,” says Dr. Edwin R. Massey, IRSC President. “Today we recognize four exceptional faculty members who, through this program, will implement projects that improve instruction and further contribute toward the excellence of the College. And in recognition of the innovation that occurs throughout the College, today we are delighted to also present the inaugural Endowed Chair in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in support of an important project designed to help first-year students succeed in and outside of the classroom environment.”

Dr. Massey and more than 30 IRSC administrators, faculty, and students surprised the recipients with balloons, flowers, and a miniature wooden “chair” during the presentations. The five Endowed Chairs will be rewarded with an annual stipend of $6,000 per 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. Helen Wiersma-Koch will create and enhance equitable applied learning and research experiences for IRSC Biology students. The project’s multipronged approach creates additional opportunities for students to participate in two existing agricultural research projects, as well as makes available new course-based research experiences for every upper-division Biology student. Through these opportunities, students will develop tangible research and scientific writing skills that can be directly applied to future careers.

Dr. Kyle Freund will introduce innovative interdisciplinary student learning opportunities in the newly established Archaeology and Paleosciences Laboratory through expansion of its artifact teaching collections, by offering paid internships that foster mastery of high-demand job skills, and through the development of exhibits and presentations aimed at promoting interest in anthropology and expanding program visibility.

Ruby Jefferson will develop MyAdvisorCompass, an online platform that will allow advisors to use real-time information sharing to help first-time, college students better navigate and transition to the college environment.

Dr. Kimberlie Massnick will create the Institute for Cold Case Investigation (ICCI) at IRSC, an applied-learning partnership that gives students real-world experience as they work with local law enforcement agencies toward resolutions on open, unsolved criminal investigations.     

Dr. Taylor Kilman will reduce the burden of high-cost textbooks with the creation of a self-published, open-source college algebra textbook that will be available for download without cost to IRSC students.