Associate Professor of English Susan Crane-Laracuente, Ph.D. is one of 17 college faculty members in Kansas to receive a Faculty of Distinction award from the Kansas Independent College Association (KICA). She and other award recipients will be recognized at a reception Nov. 3, 2015, in Newton, Kan.
The KICA Faculty of Distinction program celebrates excellence and achievement among faculty at the 18 accredited private colleges and universities in Kansas. Throughout their existence, these colleges, which included the oldest colleges in Kansas, have emphasized the importance of classroom teaching, personal attention to each and every student, and a commitment to character, values, and learning through every facet of their graduates’ lives.
“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. Or as one nominee was described: they help every student ‘to find their voice,’ which is central to forming college graduates with the ability to succeed wherever they go.”
“Provost [Michael] Austin kindly took the time to nominate me for it without my knowledge,” Crane-Laracuente said. She added that any of her “colleagues at Newman would merit receiving this award,” and she is “honored and humbled” that she was chosen.
The reception in Newton features a day-long workshop with Gerald Nosich, Ph.D., a noted expert, educator and author in the field of Critical Thinking. Crane-Laracuente said she is looking forward to learning from him. Crane-Laracuente was recently promoted to associate professor of English, and received the 2015 Newman Teaching Excellence Award.
The Kansas Independent College Association, founded in 1976, is a 501(c)4 organization that works to provide support and services to the independent colleges of the state. The member institutions are Baker University, Benedictine College, Bethany College, Bethel College, Central Christian College, Donnelly College, Friends University, Hesston College, Kansas Wesleyan University, McPherson College, Manhattan Christian College, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Newman University, Ottawa University, Southwestern College, Sterling College, Tabor College, and the University of Saint Mary. For more information, visit www.kscolleges.org.
