MCC Daily Tribune

TCC Gratitude Series Fall 2025: Day 2

I’m excited to honor our amazing English faculty in today’s TCC Gratitude Series! At MCC, we are fortunate to have a wonderful English Department, and both students and colleagues deeply admire your passion for teaching and learning. Today, I’d like to recognize our second faculty lead, Amy Burtner, from the English Department. Amy is leading TCC’s Conversation Series and the June Teaching & Learning Conference—so stay tuned for more details! It’s always inspiring to dream about an incredible June Professional Development event on a cozy winter day.

From Colleagues to Colleagues

Catharine Ganze Smith (Dean of Liberal Arts)

I’m grateful for Catharine’s consistent support and for her steady, thoughtful leadership of Liberal Arts. I count myself lucky to work with her.

Meghan Glaser (English and Philosophy), Receiving Two Nominations

Meghan is an absolute gem. She is unfailingly generous with her time and shows unwavering commitment to her students and colleagues. She treats our most vulnerable students with exceptional care and attention, and she gives ceaselessly in service to the college. We are extremely lucky to have her!
Thank you for your incredible dedication to our students, and for your work in the department and on faculty senate. I am deeply grateful for everything you do.

Diane Clements (English and Philosophy), Receiving Two Nominations

Thank you for the incredible work you do to support our adjuncts. Your work is both noticed and deeply appreciated.
Diane is always helpful, available, and open to new ideas. If I have concerns about a student or am trying to figure out how best to revise a lesson, she’s there with great suggestions. I always feel inspired after talking with her. She’s a great motivator and supervisor and makes me feel proud to work with students!

Amy Burtner (English and Philosophy)

Thank you for your leadership in the department, especially in philosophy, and for all the work you do quietly and without complaint behind the proverbial curtain. You are an invaluable colleague.

Holly Wheeler and Scott Rud (English and Philosophy)

Your willingness to head up the English/Philosophy Department's assessment efforts, and to do the substantial work involved, is deeply appreciated.

Yulanda McKinney (English and Philosophy)

Thank you to Yulanda for her hard work and leadership with the EG-01 program, and for her dedication to Open House and welcoming our new students.

Tony Leuzzi (English and Philosophy)

Thank you for the incredible work you do on the master schedule, and for being an amazing colleague.

Angelique Johnston (English and Philosophy)

Thank you for your leadership in the department, and for the time and dedication you give to each of the many tasks that you do. I appreciate you very much.

Kelly Tudhope and Laura Tepper (English and Philosophy)

Thank you for stepping into your full time roles so quickly and smiling, and for the dedication you’ve shown for your students and the department this semester. I appreciate you both very much.

Lyn MacGregor (English and Philosophy)

Lyn is an invaluable member of the EPL team, and does her job so well that one can fail to notice all the work she's doing. The department would not function without her.

From Students To MCC’ English Department

Carl Silvio (English and Philosophy), Receiving Four Nominations

He really loves his job and the students and is so passionate about teaching! He goes out of his way to connect with past students and has offered me tons of support and is the reason I’m perusing a degree in English!
Not only does Professor Silvio genuinely care about each student’s success, but he also brings a consistently positive presence to every class. On the first day of the semester, I was terrified about my courses but the moment I walked into his classroom, his energy and optimism gave me the reassurance I needed to believe I could actually do this. It’s bittersweet that the semester is ending, along with both of my classes with him. His kindness, flexibility, and understanding of students’ lives deserve to be recognized. I’m sure I’m not the first, and certainly won’t be the last, to truly enjoy learning from him. Thank you, Professor Silvio!
I have enjoyed taking Professor Silvio's class this semester because he teaches efficiently and effectively. The lessons are clear and helpful, especially for the course material, but further aid in the development of my writing skills as well.
Dr. Silvio changed the way I approached writing. He is passionate about writing and explains concepts in an engaging way. Thanks to him, I have a better understanding of what makes an argument persuasive. Throughout the semester, he maintained an open minded and welcoming environment in his class. As a result, receiving feedback was less intimidating and more productive. I felt more comfortable asking questions and attending office hours. Most importantly, Professor Silvio cares about his students. He is easy to talk to, and friendly to everyone in class. I would recommend to anyone looking to improve their writing skills. He is a fantastic professor.

Kelly Tudhope (English and Philosophy), Receiving Two Nominations

You can just tell she genuinely cares!! She pushes me to believe in myself, making me want to do better. Most of all she deals with me.
Professor Tudhope, thank you for your encouragement and for showing up with such genuine kindness. It has truly been a joy to learn in your class, and I’m grateful our paths crossed. I wish you all the best, and don’t you forget about your girl.

Angelique Johnston (English and Philosophy), Receiving Two Nominations

She is really encouraging and creates a really positive environment in her class. She makes sure each student has is heard. I always look forward to my class with her.
Professor Johnston sponsored me for scholar's day last semester, which I ended up winning first place and got a substantial amount of money that helped me in terms of financial aid. She also motivated me a lot and gave me a platform to speak which meant a lot to me. Thank you very much Professor Johnston!

Elizabeth Johnston (English and Philosophy), Receiving Two Nominations

Professor Johnston always has great energy in class. In creative writing, we have gone through so many different types of writing, and she helped me discover a new found love for poetry. Thank you to her for always providing amazing and thoughtful feedback, and giving us many different prompts and activities to do. Excited to take her again next semester!
I just want to give a genuine shout-out to Dr. Johnston. Her class pushed me in the best way; she encourages students to use their own thinking. Her teaching style has made such a difference in how I write; and I can see the improvement in my work. She has a thoughtful and meaningful teaching approach that employes both logic and controlled emotion. You can tell it matters to her and that she's connected to what she's teaching, I really respect that. Thank you, Dr. Johnston, for helping me grow as a writer and a thinker this semester. I appreciate you more than you know.

Jessica Strollo (English and Philosophy), Receiving Two Nominations

Professor Strollo is very kind and understanding, and she creates a welcoming environment where everyone feels comfortable participating. Our class gets along well because of the positive atmosphere she sets. You can tell she genuinely cares about her students and their well being. She makes the lessons engaging and enjoyable, and I truly appreciate the effort she puts into making her classroom a supportive place to learn.
I feel Professor Strollo should be nominated, over these past few months she has truly made a big difference for me. She taught me things to help me grow, and her dedication and excellent work deserve to be recognized. I am grateful for everything she has done, and I believe she truly deserves to be nominated.

Jean-Paul Scott (English and Philosophy), Receiving Two Nominations

Professor Scott has been very encouraging and supportive throughout the semester, helping the class understand and complete the assignments required with reasonable expectation visual aids, along with hands-on examples. His teaching style and hard work truly set the tone for all of my classes. I am truly grateful for having the best teacher ever. Hopefully, I will have more experiences like this one.
Really made a strong classroom setting that felt inviting to everyone who attended. Was great to talk to before and during class, always available when needed, and made an effort to ensure everyone regardless of skill in the subject were equal and knew of resources accessible to them.

Kirstin Rose-Bean (English and Philosophy), Receiving Two Nominations

She is very understanding, nonjudgmental with an outstanding personality. Someone you can definitely be yourself around.
She is super well informed about all kinds of topics, related and unrelated to just English. She has a positive attitude and fosters a stress-free class environment. The feedback she gives on class assignments quite helpful as it is thorough and to the point. Her lectures are engaging and frequently provide useful material to be used in the future.

Meghan Glaser (English and Philosophy)

Dear professor Glaser, I would to express my heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support and the unique humor you bring to your teaching. Your style makes learning English enjoyable and approachable, especially for someone like me experiencing it for the first time. You are truly amazing, and I deeply appreciate everything you've done to help me grow. Thank you for being such inspiring professor! Moreover, I would like to acknowledge the exceptional support provided by Monroe community college as a whole. Form the library staff to the administration office, MCC offers outstanding resources and assistance that create a welcoming and productive environment for students. This comprehensive support has greatly contributed to my positive learning experience. I would to express my heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support and the unique humor you bring to your teaching. Your style makes learning English enjoyable and approachable, especially for someone like me experiencing it for the first time. You are truly amazing, and I deeply appreciate everything you've done to help me grow.Thank you for being such inspiring professor!

Dianne Chamberlain (English and Philosophy)

I chose Professor. Dianne Chamberlain due to her being not only a remarkable Professor in and out of class but for taking the time to truly and genuinely engage with her students. Being in her class I have observed that she takes the time to get to know us introspectively, she consistently shows that she cares for us both emotionally first so that we can tend to our academic curriculum. She is very impressionable. My mother funeral was a week before school started and I had also just lost my father two months prior, and she had no idea the head space I was in and the talks I had to have with myself leading up to the first day of school to just stay focused and that I can still do it. Coming to her class was a get away for me from home due to her kindness, patience, transparency, passion for teaching and moral and ethical values. She truly brings me joy and comfort being her student and inspires me constantly to keep going. She has no idea how much she truly pushes me! I look forward to every class and will always remember her after graduation.

Mary Mulligan (English and Philosophy)

Professor Mulligan, You made my first semester at Monroe Community college memorable. From the moment you had all of us introduce ourselves on the first day of class, I knew it was going to be a class I’d enjoy. You made our class feel like a family, and I feel like I can be more confident and free when I'm in your class.

Jim McCusker (English and Philosophy) and Andrea Giardino (Mathematics)

Both professors have been so supportive of me as an older student. They've helped me through some fears and are both phenomenal professors.

Jacob Bodway (English and Philosophy)

Professor Bodway is very understanding, and I appreciate all his help and guidance throughout my first year back at school. THANK YOU for everything!

David McLuckie (English and Philosophy)

Mr.McLuckie always made sure to help me when I was needed. He worked with me around this that happened outside of school and I really appreciate it.

Nicole Johnson (English and Philosophy)

Professor Johnson has encouraged me to be a better writer and actually enjoy doing my assignments. She takes the time to make sure we understand our assignments and works with us personally if we are for help without a second thought. She has made my first year at college something that will encourage me to keep working towards my goal and believe in myself along the way.

Scott Rudd (English and Philosophy)

He goes above and beyond to connect the material to our current world not only allowing us to have a better understanding of what’s happening around the world but also making his classroom a safe space

Gary Rainford (English and Philosophy)

Gary has such a down to earth way of teaching that I can truly appreciate, although he is an older professor he incorporates modern teaching ideas. I loved the meditations before class which were really helpful, he was always ready to help!! Everyone should aspire to be like Gary.

Peggy Hill (English and Philosophy)

I so appreciated and I would like to thank from professor Peggy because she learned me a lot of writing and grammar skills.

Stephanie Dickerson (English and Philosophy)

Dr. Dickerson is a bright individual who constantly brings smiles to her students while simultaneously assuring that the lessons are getting through. Outside the classroom she is professional and kind, making her easy to work with and approach.

Melis Kural
Teaching & Creativity Center
12/09/2025