Natural Sciences and Math Instructor Karen Judy has more to celebrate than her 25 years of service to Donnelly College. She recently was recognized by the Kansas Independent College Association (KICA) with a Faculty of Distinction award. The KICA Faculty of Distinction program celebrates excellence and achievement among faculty at the accredited private colleges and universities in Kansas. According to the KICA, the 18 chosen instructors for this inaugural award exemplify broader institutional goals like devoting personal attention to all students and committing to “character, values and learning through every facet of their graduates’ lives.” Therefore, the organization says, these instructors are excellent role models for all educators. “It’s inspiring to know these faculty and see how they live the mission of our independent colleges,” said KICA President Matt Lindsey. “A common thread we saw among them is their gift for balancing a commitment to hold each student accountable for real, meaningful learning and a strong sense of empathy for the value of each student as an individual.” Students of Judy’s — both past and present — certainly agree that she is well-deserving of this award. “During my time at Donnelly, I don’t think I had a better relationship with any other instructor than her,” says Ruben Bueno ’11. “Students often peg professors as distant or unapproachable because of their high achievements in academia, and it’s often intimidating speaking to them. Such barrier didn’t exist with Karen Judy, and I’ll be forever fond of that.” | WORDS FROM ALUMNI “Ms. Karen Judy is by far my favorite instructor of all time. She is a combination of intelligence, personality and a ‘little crazy’ — the perfect concoction for an amazing learning experience.” — Ramica Westbrook ‘12 “What I remember most about [Judy] is that she made her classes fun, and that she was always so cheerful and upbeat. She always challenged us.” — Josephine Heinzman ‘07 “I remember Ms. Judy’s biology class to be extremely fun and engaging, because I remember her always being very cheerful, patient and helpful. I am not a big fan of biology personally, but her class made biology into something that I could understand.” — Gerika Berry ‘09 “In retrospect, I wish I would have taken more classes with her. I learned a lot from her, both in the classroom and outside of it. She is a person I consider to have been a mentor, an advisor, a guide and a friend of mine. Although the time I spent at Donnelly College was relatively short, the impression Ms. Judy left on me will last a lifetime.” — Ruben Bueno ‘11 “Karen always had a way of making the subject matter interesting, which facilitated the learning process.” — Maria Martinez ‘06 “I had [Judy] for only one class and interacted with her only minimally, yet I remember that class as if I took it yesterday. She always had such high energy, which really helps in the learning process. She was able to make learning fun — something that very few other instructors are capable of doing.” — Ivan Medrano AS ’10, BS ‘13 “Karen Judy is a very friendly instructor. Her classes were always taught in a kind environment that promoted learning. She valued all her students and encouraged them to learn, providing tutoring and guidance to find the right studying strategy.” — Laura Castro de Santiago ‘13 “I love her energy and teaching style because it made us want to learn even more. If I could go back and take more classes, I would most definitely take her classes.” — Yar Riak ‘11 |