Brittany Stahnke, an assistant professor of social work at Newman University’s Colorado Springs campus, was named the 2022 Teaching Excellence Award recipient.
This past spring, all students, faculty and staff were invited to nominate a teaching faculty member and a staff member whom they believe demonstrates and deserves Newman University’s recognition through the 2022 Staff Excellence and Teaching Excellence Awards.
In an announcement email from President Kathleen Jagger, she shared, “As we approach the end of this academic year, it is time to celebrate all the amazing things accomplished this year. Clearly, you have done inspired work under difficult circumstances to help Newman and our students soar. We want to tell those amazing stories and recognize that work.”
Many responded to the invitation, which resulted with Stahnke being named the Teaching Excellence Award recipient.
Making a degree of difference
One nominator noted, “I don’t know how she does it but her approach to getting others to comprehend her lecture is amazing. Her style of teaching is diverse to meet different learning styles. She is flexible but firm in her expectations.”
Another student said, “I have had many instructors over the course of pursuing my degree. I have yet to find anyone like this instructor. She goes out of her way to be there for the students, motivate them and guide them. But mostly she takes time out of her day just to be there.”
Yet another student commented, “She’s the kind of professor who is truly invested in the success of her students from the beginning of the program and beyond. She is willing to share, learn and grow. She is willing to help students prepare for licensure exams on her own time.”
The kind words continued.
For Stahnke, receiving the Teaching Excellence Award means that she’s simply been doing her job supporting students in their learning, as well as their personal and professional lives.
“It means that they can turn to me and depend on me,” she said. “And I’m the kind of faculty member that I have hoped to be.”
Creatively supporting Newman social work students
Stahnke added that being a faculty member in an outreach location such as the Newman Colorado Springs campus is, in her experience, very different from being one on the main campus.
“They don’t have a physical library, so I help them all the time in finding journal articles and things like that,” she said. “I think it just means that I have to try a little bit extra hard. We all do in allowing the students to feel supported and like their education is on par.”
Her passion for social work contributes to her well-regarded teaching style and commitment to growing the next generation of social workers. Newman’s Master of Social Work program has an important trauma-focused curriculum, reflective of the times as about 50% of the population will experience trauma at some point in their lives.
“Social work is something that is both up-and-coming and is going to be a greater and greater need with time,” Stahnke said. “So we are happy to be a school that is reflective of the needs in our society.”
She added, “To have all of our classes kind of infiltrated with a trauma lens means that throughout the program, we are preparing students to work with people of today.”
And given the words of her student nominators, it appears that Stahnke is doing more than her fair share of that prep work.
I have yet to find anyone like this instructor. She goes out of her way to be there for the students, motivate them and guide them.”
– Student nomination on Teaching Excellence Award winner Brittany Stahnke
Earn a degree in social work
Social Work is not just a job, it is a helping profession rooted in dedicating oneself to continuous growth, learning, change and becoming the best version of yourself.
