In Search of Excellence

Two Saint Paul College instructors get nominated for a prestigious teaching award.

Dan Paulnock and Lorie Costello are in some select company these days. The longtime Saint Paul College instructors have been nominated for a prestigious honor: The Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Teaching, which is given to Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system faculty to acknowledge and reward exceptional individual professional accomplishment, and to encourage ongoing excellence in teaching. Each year, presidents of all 32 of the system's colleges and universities submit nominations for review by a panel of judges that includes faculty members, presidents, administrators, and students. The nominees are selected from a pool of more than 3,000 instructors.

The pair certainly are deserving of the honor.

Lorie Costello

Costello has been with the College for nearly 20 years, serving for much of that time as an instructor in the Business and Administrative Support program area. She also works as an instructor and coordinator for the College's Computer Skills Training program, and has been instrumental in the implementation of a software–based centralized curriculum development tool throughout the campus. "I have empathy for students, and I build in early reward mechanisms that encourage academic risk-taking," Costello says of her teaching approach. "My goal for students is to help them learn the course content and also achieve responsibility for their own future life–long learning."

"There are many, many wonderful and deserving teachers out there," she adds. "Being nominated for the award is an honor in itself."

Dan Paulnock

Paulnock, who has been at the College since 1999, currently serves as the chair of Communication, English, Speech, and Theatre Department. In that role, he's helped expand the department's curriculum; added a range of transfer opportunities for students; and spearheaded innovative initiatives such as eFolio, a multimedia electronic portfolio that allows any Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system student or state resident to publish his or her materials to the Web. ?I've always tried to deal with all of my students as individuals — to understand why they're here, why a particular subject appeals to them, and what they want to gain from a course," says Paulnock. "I've always tried to use that information to help them improve their lives and accomplish their goals. It's just a real thrill to be nominated."