League of Excellence

The League of Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding contributions and leadership by community college faculty and staff. Recipients are nominated by COTC President John M. Berry, PhD. They are also recognized by the League for Innovation in the Community College, an international nonprofit focused on fostering innovation in the community college environment.

Recipients:

• Rachel Brandenburg, MFA, senior marketing communications specialist, Office of Marketing and Public Relations
• Susan Cooperider, EdD, RN, associate professor, nursing technology
• Chris Doll, MPA, director, Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness
• Amanda Waser, MBA, office coordinator, Office of Student Life

Legends of Loyalty

The Office of the President established the Legends of Loyalty award in 2011 to identify and recognize individuals who have made a significant impact on the history of the college, gone above and beyond their required duties, and proven unwavering commitment to COTC.

Misty Amacher

Amacher showcases incredible courtesy as a member of the campus’s student financial services department. Through almost 30 years on campus, this respectful problem-solver has helped students navigate the often-overwhelming world of financial aid. She has ascended to assistant director of customer service and processing, working directly with families seeking help affording college. She’s also a liaison for veteran and military-connected students. Amacher’s efforts and contributions personify COTC’s mission to provide avenues for everyone to achieve higher education — and to provide a supportive environment once they’re here.

Rhonda Carter

Leadership is more than just managing processes. It’s also about service toward people. For Carter, it comes with her title: services center supervisor. She manages the campus’s printing efforts, connecting with and fulfilling requests from all corners of the campus community. She has been doing so for almost 30 years now. Carter’s colleagues have called her work exceptional and claim her kindness, energy and enthusiasm create a positive office culture. Those traits translate to her work with the campus’s staff development committee, of which she’s currently the vice chair.

Kim Goudy

Goudy embodies what it means to be an educator. She has taught at COTC since 2002, currently as a professor of business management technology. She claims her students served as the impetus for pursuing her doctorate degree, which she achieved in 2015. By learning to juggle school and a full-time job, she could relate more deeply to her students’ experiences. Goudy has presented at more than a dozen national and international conferences, not to mention made multiple appearances on NBC4. She has also earned a COTC Teaching Excellence Award, a fitting recognition of her tremendous mentorship and dedication.

The Ohio State University at Newark

For 55 years, the two institutions have collectively dreamed of offering an accessible education to the communities they serve, and they have worked in lockstep to bring that vision to life. They operate off joint budgets to avoid duplicating costs. They craft their respective strategic plans to prioritize and strengthen this important relationship. Sustaining a collaborative culture takes a devotion to teamwork. For COTC, Ohio State Newark has long fulfilled the other half of that equation — to this campus’s< and community’s benefit.

Alumni Awards