Presidential awards recognize employee achievement and dedication to college

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (May 15, 2009) - Marking the tenth anniversary of employee awards being presented at Commencement, three Daytona State College employees were recognized on Monday, May 11 for their dedication to the College and its students.

Since 1999, a faculty member has been selected to receive the Presidential Teaching Excellence Award and this year’s recipient has been with the College for more than 20 years. Randall K. Allbritton has been rated by many of his students as the best teacher they’ve ever had (www.ratemyprofessor.com) - they say, he makes subjects like calculus II and III easy to understand, if that’s at all possible. In addition to his outstanding teaching skills, Allbritton is an advisor and a mentor to both students and faculty alike.  He has embraced the online teaching environment and works with fellow faculty on how to effectively incorporate new technologies into their online course delivery. He helped write the math course curriculum for the College's new Bachelor of Science degree in Education program. Albritton holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Florida and is well on his way to earning a doctoral degree in mathematics.

Representing administrative employees, Dr. Linda Miles received the first of two employee excellence awards presented on Monday evening. The Presidential Sterling Award for Professional Excellence is presented to two employees each year to recognize them for their positive contributions and exemplary service to the College. A graduate of Daytona State College's Nursing program, Miles joined the College's faculty in 1999 and currently serves as Assistant Dean of the College of Health, Human and Public Services. Miles is the kind of person who understands every nuance of her division and the health care industry. Commended for her commitment to student success and how she leads her division, which consistently has high enrollment and above average licensing exam pass rates for her graduates.

Representing career employees the second recipient of the employee excellence awards, John F. Banker, is described as a self-starter, hardworking, dedicated, efficient and customer service oriented. Banker joined the College in 2000 as a Campus Safety Officer and quickly made his mark with his knowledge, professionalism and attitude. As a former United States Marine and Vietnam war veteran, Banker made a career in the security industry upon leaving the military. Promoted to Campus Safety Supervisor for the College's DeLand, Deltona and New Smyrna Beach-Edgewater campuses, Banker was the first responder when the College's DeLand Campus sustained millions of dollars in damages in the wake of the 2006 tornados that passed through that area. Since then, he launched an emergency response team consisting of more than 100 college employees who assist campus safety and law enforcement in the case of disasters. 

The employee recognition awards were first introduced in 1999 and are supported by the Daytona State College Foundation. Past recipients include: Susan Antillon, Al Bonamy, Gail S. Brown, Marc Campbell, Neal Coates, Bruce Cook, Patricia Dyke, Fred Fathi, Alice Godbey, James Greene, Diana Jabour, Gail Jackson, Angela Kennerly, Linda Lee, Maxine E. Lesser, Kevin McCrary, Nancy Morgan, Ram Nayar, Willie Norman, Janet Parish, Sharon Peipher, John Riddick, Roger Rowan, Sandra Session-Robertson, Suzanne Stewart, Linda Sullivan, and Kim A. Titus.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Glyn Johnston, Vice President, Marketing, Communications & Events, (386) 506-4499,  johnstg@DaytonaState.edu

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