Instructor Jenny Ott Receives MCCA Outstanding Faculty Award

Kalamazoo Valley Community College communications instructor Jenny Ott received the Outstanding Faculty Award from the Michigan Community College Association (MCCA) during the organization's summer conference on August 1. She was nominated for the award by Kalamazoo Valley President L. Marshall Washington, Ph.D. He said Ott deserves the recognition because of her infectious enthusiasm and her passion for teaching. "In every situation, you can count on Jenny to be positive and to put the focus on students," he said.

Ott started teaching full-time at Kalamazoo Valley in January 2002 and is currently teaching interpersonal communication and communication theory. She is chair of the Communication and English Departments and the Honors Program coordinator. She also serves on the Academic Leadership Council, Administrators Plus Committee, Faculty Success Center Advisory Committee and the Student Cares Committee.

Ott reflected on how rewarding teaching can be. "As a faculty member, it is incredibly rewarding to support students as they strive to reach their personal and professional goals because not only are their lives changing, but so are all those who are impacted by their achievements," she said. "What all of us do in the in-person or online classroom is to meet students where they are and then help them get where they want to go. We do this by enriching their knowledge, creating awarenesses, challenging preconceptions and creating a community of learners. Being part of a community that's so much bigger than my individual contribution - where together we are more than the sum of our parts - where synergy is a real thing - is an incredible gift and is what I most enjoy about being a faculty member at Valley."

Ott said receiving the award was humbling. "Being recognized in this way continues to fuel my passion to be of service to others through teaching," she said. "Since the time I was little, I dreamt of a career where I would be in front of people in some capacity." She joked that her previous career aspirations included being an aerial acrobat or the first female president of the United States.

"In college, I realized that being of service to others during my lifetime was my aspiration. And I got so lucky with the very best mentors who saw something in me I wasn't sure I saw in myself - potential to put the drive to serve, and be in front of people, into teaching. And because I started my academic career at a community college, I knew the community college is where I would live out my dream to teach. I'm so grateful to have been at Kalamazoo Valley for the last 22 years."