Skip to main content


Repost Message will copy the article into draft mode and enable you to edit/change dates and information.
Do not change the dates of this posting because it will affect the original.

MCC Daily Tribune

On the 10th day of thanks, a spotlight on Transitional Studies faculty members

To round out our second week of student thanks, the TCC would like to spotlight the department that received the most thanks from their students the Transitional Studies (TRS) faculty. Thank you for all you do!

Philip Doku, TRS Math

  • He listened to us when we have questions, and when we are confused he always made sure he explained the solution of the problems in ways that we understand. He is very understanding, and friendly. And, he always made sure that we are always welcome to stop by at his office hours whenever we need support or tutoring.

Diane Clements, TRS English

  • Dr. Clements is an amazing professor. She is thorough and very efficient. Whenever I had questions or was uncertain of a certain Module, she was a call, text, email, and zoom meeting away. She responds in a timely manner with her students' requests.

Amy Burns, TRS Math

  • Words cannot express how grateful I am to have had Mrs. Burns as a math teacher. When I see numbers, I cringe with fear, but Mrs. Burns talked to me all semester, pushing me to keep going and I'm farther than I have ever been in math in my whole life, and I have her to thank for this. I wish there were more teachers like her. 

April Daniels, TRS English

  • April cares deeply about every one of her students. She will do everything in her power to support students and to help them succeed, both in and out of class. Anyone who's ever had a class with April should have nothing but positive things to say about her, and I believe she has left an outstanding positive impact on all of her students. April does not just see students as her job, she sees us as individuals. She recognizes the individual struggles we go through, and goes above and beyond to accommodate and support those needs. April is also very dedicated to creating a safe and accepting classroom environment, and actively teaches students how to do the same in their personal lives. I believe that April's classes not only help students learn more about reading and writing, but that they also teach us how to become better, kinder people. April is easily one of the most, if not the most, accepting, loving, supportive, empathetic, kind, and caring professors at MCC. 

Judy Salsburg- Taylor, TRS English

  • (faculty submission) Kudos to Judi Salsburg Taylor for her work in elevating awareness and working to affirm MCC as a welcoming and inclusive space for our LGBTQIA+ community. Her collaborative efforts with the Senate Executive Committee in presenting a statement of support to the college community, including the Board of Trustees, is timely and critical to the well-being of our community.

Renee Dimino, TRS English

  • (faculty submission) Kudos for just being a fantastic colleague!  I appreciate your willingness to collaborate and offer honest feedback.   

Meghan Glaser, TRS English

  • She is a great teacher,will help in any way she can. Even before school it after school on even zoom if need be.

Jim McCusker, TRS English (3 submissions)

  • Even if you go to Mr McCusker’s class in a bad mood, you will leave with a smile on your face. He does a great job at teaching, and is more than lenient if you’re having trouble balancing college and life. I love that he understands that we are all people, and sometimes life happens. He does an excellent job with teaching, and I feel like I have improved my writing SO MUCH in just 1 semester because of him. His humorous personality and kind heart is really 1 in a million!
  • He is very understanding always makes me feel good he is a great teacher listener and always offers support outside of his hours of work. Very kind- best person I’ve ever met.
  • I hope that I can use some of the skills I have gained from being an academic in Professor McCusker's English 101 and Composition 099 class. I cannot express how grateful I am for everything I have learned. From the first class he taught us that we were all capable of being successful. I am a returning adult student who has been away from a classroom setting for almost thirty years. I had very low self-confidence and he showed me that you can learn at any age. He taught me how to believe in myself. He respected that we have lives outside of school and was always understanding and willing to help in anyway he could. The time he makes and the compassion he shows is remarkable. I was commuting three hours to campus due to a family emergency and there was never a class that he wasn't checking to make sure I was staying on track with my assignments and most importantly my self-care. I am grateful for Professor McCusker, and having the experience of being his student has made a positive impact on my life.

Matt Fox, TRS English

  • Mr. Fox is super understanding and continues to encourage his students daily as well as leaving positives messages. He also goes out of his way for his zoom hours since it’s a fully online course he asked us personally what works for us and made sure to give us that time. Overall he’s an amazing professor and I’m super thankful! 
  • Mr. Fox has gone above and beyond to work with me through my obstacles outside of school by appointing me in the right direction(s). He gave me faith in believing in my passion for writing something I gave up on because of the many obstacles. Nonetheless, with his understanding, he's allowed me to work independently (from home) to still achieve my goal despite not attending due to those obstacles I've been encountering. If it wasn't for him and his understanding of what life can throw, I think I would have given up completely. 
  • Second semester in college and he has been one of the two teachers that had made this class feel less like learning and just going with the flow and having fun! Especially the assignments, never boring :) thanks!! 

Eric Berg, TRS Math (5 submissions!)

  • He made math understandable and easy for me to pass TRS094 
  • Professor Berg is a great professor he cares about his students. He works hard for all his students to do good in his class. He's a great role model and a he makes math fun.
  • Mr. Berg works with people in 094 math and enables people from all different walks of life to learn the foundations of algebra. He takes time to make sure all students are tracking the lesson plan and explains things in different ways for different people. Me. Berg even went out of his way to help a student who was advised to take this course for a second time even though he already passed it with an A. Mr. Berg sorted out the situation, got the student into the correct math course, and even fought for the student to get a refund for the poor advising issue. He goes above and beyond his duties every day. 
  • This professor always went above and beyond to make sure we understood the material he was teaching. He would also give us lots of helpful tools and resources for lots of things besides math to always help his students well being. 
  • Professor Berg is really good at teaching us concepts, and working with us until we understand it. He’s been receptive to feedback and always tries to figure out how to be the best teacher he can be. He was also supportive of me when I changed my major to Mathematics, and also when I opened up about my upcoming plans to move. Overall a great teacher and I hope I have more teachers like him in future years.

Amanda Colosimo
Teaching and Creativity Center
05/19/2023