Two Faculty Receive 2019 President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching

May 13, 2019

Hudson Valley Community College has announced two recipients of the 2019 President’s Award for Excellence.

Recipients of the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching this year are: Thomas Lail, a professor in the Department of Fine Arts, Theatre Arts and Digital Media, and Ann Ruecker, an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Human Services and Chemical Dependency Counseling.

Lail has been a Hudson Valley faculty member since 1993 and was instrumental in creating the college’s Fine Arts associate degree program more than 20 years ago. He has also worked to establish articulation agreements with several SUNY and private colleges so that program graduates have a broad choice of transfer institutions to choose from. A respected working artist himself, he helps students grasp the foundational concepts of art and succeed as artists themselves.

Ruecker has been an adjunct instructor in the Human Services program since 2009 and teaches a wide variety of courses, from Human Sexuality to Human Development and the Family. Those who nominated her for this honor noted Ruecker’s ability to challenge her students to excel and also her ability to create a respectful environment in the classroom where all opinions are valued.

The President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching or Excellence in College Service have been handed out by Hudson Valley presidents since 1985.