MCC Daily Tribune
MCC Proud: Meet Amanda Colosimo & Ben Schermerhorn
This week’s MCC Proud article takes a fun turn from our usual format! We interviewed Amanda Colosimo and Ben Schermerhorn together—fitting, since they co-host a podcast. To reflect their natural back-and-forth, the article is written in a more conversational, podcast-style format.
If you like what you read, be sure to check out Coffee Break Classroom: Brewed for Higher Ed, available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Introduce yourselves. What do you do at Monroe Community College (MCC)? How long have you worked at the College?
Amanda: I am a professor of geology. I’ve worked here, I think this might be the start of my 22nd year? I am also the executive vice president of the Faculty Association this year. How about you?
Ben: I am an instructor in the Engineering Science and Physics Department, and also the department chair as of this year, so that's fun. I am the faculty advisor for the Engineering Leadership Council and the Student Pride Alliance, and I co-chair the faculty/staff LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group. I also do a lot of work with the Teaching & Creativity Center, which is where I first met Amanda.
What got you interested in your line of work?
Amanda: I don't know, I like puzzles, and I like traveling, and I think geology lets me do both. And I really like people. I think I'm too social to be a straight geologist, or really a research geologist, and so, this allows me to work with awesome students and colleagues all the time. How about you?
Ben: I wanted to teach since I was a junior in high school. Physics always just clicked for me, so everyone would come to me for help, and I just fell in love with helping explain how the world works. But then the further I got into pedagogy and education research, the more I wanted to be somewhere where I can do work that matters and lift students up. That's why I like being here at MCC.
Talk about the podcast you started.
Amanda: So, I think the story of how the podcast came to be is a good one. We first met when you were a second-year faculty, and I was in charge of the second-year faculty series. You came in with a lot of teaching experience and research understanding of education. So, I think you and I naturally hit it off for that reason.
Ben: Then we ended up doing a presentation together, which was a lot of fun. The newest dynamic duo since Batman and Robin.
Amanda: Right? That's a very dated reference, but luckily, they make a new Batman every few years, so it's cool. One thing that stands out to me about that first presentation is that they had to move us to a bigger room. There was a lot of enthusiasm for what we were talking about, which is what it feels like we've been talking about ever since: the idea of designing your classes for people, as opposed to robots.
Ben: It really expanded from there. We both have educational backgrounds; we both are really engaged with the literature and the things that it tells us about pedagogy. So, we have been doing a lot of professional development on our own. A lot of things related to grading practices and course design.
Amanda: A lot of times when we have conversations, it sounds a little podcast-y anyway, so it didn't turn out to be that weird of an extension. We just had to be more cognizant of the fact that people could hear our conversations.
Ben: I love the idea of just being able to do professional development and reaching people that we wouldn't necessarily reach otherwise, to share ideas around grading practices, belonging, or any of the other stuff we've talked about so far.
Amanda: One of the things that we discussed on the podcast was why we bothered to start it, right? And so, you hit on part of it, which is just making college teaching less isolating. The other part is wanting to change the way college teaching is done (by integrating more up-to-date research), so that students can be more successful. Community college teaching can be a weird job. You're expected to be an expert at teaching at a community college, but you have no actual training in teaching unless you seek it.
Ben: We've also talked about the course information sheet, formative assessment, and how to get students excited for the classroom.
Talk about any grants that you're currently working on.
Ben: We’ve done a little bit through the MCC Foundation. For example, we applied for a microgrant where we interviewed students to learn about the impact of our grading practices on their experience in the course. I think we got some really nice data out of that.
Amanda: Yeah, we have quantitative data in terms of how success rates have changed as a result of changing grading practices. We also have survey data that shows students prefer these sorts of supports in the classroom. Now, thanks to our MCC Foundation Impact Grant, we have qualitative data. Our grading practices help students feel like they have a potential path forward. They like how messing up once or twice doesn’t necessarily mean the whole semester is lost. And so, I think that is particularly important in community colleges, because we have students who often face catastrophic events during the semester, or they have a steep learning curve as they learn to be college students.
Ben: Going forward, we're starting to look at doing more professional development and outreach.
Amanda: Last May, we ran an institute at the college for grading practices, and that's something that we'll probably repeat again in the future. We're also in the process of writing some articles for The Chronicle for Higher Ed and Inside Higher Ed to wrap up the Impact Grant and get the word out about some of the results we've had.
Have you received any awards/accolades during your time at MCC?
Ben: I received the MCC Emerging Excellence Award last June and was also recognized as part of the team that does the Celebration of Learning. We received an Innovation of the Year Award, which will be recognized by the League of Innovation.
Amanda: I won the MCC Emerging Excellence Award myself. Since then, I was awarded the SUNY Chancellor Award for Excellence in Faculty Service as a result of some work I did for the Faculty Senate years ago. Most recently, I was named a SUNY Online Ambassador for my online teaching.
What is the most memorable thing that has happened to you during your time at MCC?
Ben: I think some of the most fun that I've had is getting to work with the students in the Engineering Leadership Council. We did a pumpkin launcher last year, and I actually got to watch them launch pumpkins on the University of Rochester campus. Champions over RIT and U of R two years in a row!
Amanda: I get to co-teach a field class with my chair, Jessica Barone, and that came out of student club activities from years ago. That's probably my most memorable thing. The students asked if we would drive them to Yellowstone, and we said, if you raise enough money, we'll get you there. And so, they did! We spent 10 days driving in the MCC Association van all the way to Wyoming. In the middle of that, I think we got caught in a flash flood in South Dakota, and all of our tents broke. We had to contact the provost for money in the middle of South Dakota to buy new tents. We camped in Yellowstone and a bear ate an elk in our campground that day. Then on the way back, we used our 3-day drive together to map out a field class, which we've been teaching every other year ever since in geology.
What suggestions would you give current students, or students who are considering enrolling in MCC?
Amanda: I would tell students two things. First, make yourself aware of all of the resources that you have at your disposal, because there are lots of support systems at the college that students aren't aware of. I think they could make a big difference in their ability to finish and be successful. I would also encourage them to meet their faculty as early and often as possible in a semester. The earlier you establish relationships, both with your classmates and with your faculty, the better support system you'll have throughout the year.
Ben: Going along with that, just telling students to never give up. Believe that you have the ability to achieve the things that you want to achieve. As far as students considering enrolling at MCC, I think this is a great place. A lot of people want to be here and work with our students, and I don't think you can get a better education for the cost.
Where did you go to school?
Amanda: I grew up in Buffalo, and my undergrad was done at SUNY Geneseo, one of our big transfer schools here. After that, I went to Chapel Hill, NC, for my master's work. Currently, I am a graduate student seeking a doctorate in educational practices and innovation at the University of South Carolina.
Ben: I went to SUNY Potsdam for my bachelor's in physics and also in math, and then I went to the University of Maine and got my PhD in physics, with a focus on physics education research.
What is your favorite sports team?
Amanda: I grew up in Buffalo, so obviously - Go Bills!
Share the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you
Ben: It came from my mentor when I was a postdoc. I was trying to figure out where to work, and they said, you have to define success for yourself … it's really about what it is that you want to do. You're going to be successful if you're doing what you want to do. That really stuck with me, and I do share that with students as well.
What destination do you hope to visit one day?
Amanda: I have a constantly evolving list of places I would like to visit. I just got back from Hawaii, which was pretty awesome. I think the next one on the list is either Spain or Ireland.
Ben: I don't love traveling. I would like to do a trip along the coast of California at one point. When I lived out there for my postdoc, my friend and I had always talked about taking a train up the coast to see the Redwoods for a day or two. We never got a chance to do that because COVID hit. So, I would maybe like to do that at some point in my life, but I'm also okay if I don't travel.
What activities do you participate in over the weekend?
Amanda: I have two children who are in college at two different SUNY schools. So, my weekends look very different from how they used to. Sometimes I get to visit them, and other times, I don't know what I do on the weekends. I love my house and can be very boring!
Ben: I like to go for walks in the woods; otherwise, I'll spend some time doing some creative writing.
Photo Caption:
- Schermerhorn_Ben.jpg: Headshot photo of Ben Schermerhorn wearing a dark dress shirt and tie as he smiles at the camera.
- Colosimo_Amanda.jpg: Headshot of Amanda Colosimo wearing a black blazer and smiling at the camera.
Attached Files:
Schermerhorn_Ben.jpg
Colosimo_Amanda.jpg
Courtney Weimar
Community Relations
11/19/2025