Midland College announces the winners of the 2024 Dr. Stan Jacobs Teaching Excellence AwardsApril 25, 2024

Two Midland College faculty members were announced as the recipients of the Dr. Stan Jacobs Teaching Excellence Award at a ceremony on Wednesday, April 24, at the Wagner & Brown Auditorium on the Midland College campus.

The peer-driven Teaching Excellence Awards are presented each year to select faculty members who have made significant contributions to the intellectual life of the college through innovation in the classroom and their commitment to students.

2024 Teaching Excellence Winners:
Terry Gilmour, Ph.D — Professor Government/Political Science. Dr. Gilmour has taught Government full-time at Midland College since 1997 and served as an adjunct faculty member for several years. She holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from West Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. from Texas Tech University. Currently, Gilmour not only teaches government courses but also serves as the director of MC’s Honors Program and as advisor to the college’s Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

Erick Gutierrez — Department Chair, Associate Professor Automation, Automotive Technology, Diesel Technology, Natural Gas Compression, Petroleum Energy Technology. Gutierrez holds an Associate of Applied Science and Bachelor of Applied Technology from Midland College. This year, Erick led his students to 15 separate awards in the Skills USA competitions at district and state levels.

The selection process spans several months and includes input from the faculty and staff of Midland College, beginning with a call for nominations. After the nomination window closes, six people from different disciplines conduct a meticulous eligibility review. From the nominees, three finalists are selected for each discipline: academic and workforce. These finalists epitomize the pinnacle of educational excellence, embodying the spirit of innovation, dedication, and passion that defines the TEA. Due to the generous endowment of Dr. Stan Jacobs, a retired professor from Midland College, both winners received a $5,000 cash honorarium and a plaque. Their names are also permanently displayed in the Pevehouse Administration Building, along with the names of winners from previous years.  

The 2024 nominees were:

Transfer Finalists:

• Dr. Terry Gilmour - Professor Government/ Political Science
• Dr. Debbie McNeely - Associate Professor, Psychology
• Joey Schenkman - Associate Professor, Biology

Workforce Finalists:

• Brooke Foutch - Department Chair, Instructor Nursing - Vocational
• Erick Gutierrez - Department Chair, Associate Professor Automation, Automotive Technology, Diesel Technology, Natural Gas Compression, Petroleum Energy Technology,
• Anita Shellenberger - Professor Office Systems Technology, Computer Information Technology

To learn more about the nominees and winners, including nominee videos visit https://www.midland.edu/audiences/faculty-staff/teaching-excellence-awards.php