OHIO Magazine Recognizes Four in ‘Excellence in Education’ Issue

OHIO magazine is honoring four Wilmington College faculty members for teaching excellence in its annual “Excellence in Education” section in the December issue. Martha S. Hendricks, associate professor of education; Ursula McTaggart, associate professor of English; Harold Thirey, assistant professor of agriculture; and Linda Tecklenburg, associate professor of athletic training, are recognized their teaching prowess, along with faculty members from other Ohio colleges and universities. Hendricks, a faculty member since 2002, is known for possessing a great passion for teaching, something she continuously infuses with new research findings and practical experiences, according to Erika Goodwin, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty. “Her research focuses on educational reform and the growth and development of novice teachers,” she said, noting Hendricks’ work has been “instrumental” in many statewide research projects and reform efforts. She also tutors math to third graders, and content and test-taking strategies to recent immigrant high school seniors to help them pass the Ohio Graduate Assessment. McTaggart has taught English at WC since 2008. Outside the classroom, she has worked with students on the mock trial team and members of Black Student Initiative.“After students graduate, she reads job application letters and short stories to be submitted to journals, and meets with them to give advice about their lives and emerging careers,” Goodwin said. McTaggart also has included student interviews in her research on social movements, such as an article that included student reactions to the Occupy Cincinnati movement. “Her goal is to help students grow not only as scholars but as members of their community,” she said. Thirey has been on the agriculture faculty since 1977. He specializes in teaching Introduction to Animal Science, Animal Nutrition and Meat Animal Science, as well as specific classes in livestock species like beef, dairy, sheep and swine. “Harold recently began teaching the Agriculture Department’s newly offered classes in the area of food science emphasizing the preparation and consumption of foods for the consumer,” Goodwin said. Also, Thirey is the longtime adviser for the Aggies’ annual Livestock Judging Contest that, in recent years, has attracted annually more than 1,000 4-H, Future Farmers of America and other high school students to the judging competition. Goodwin said that Tecklenburg has been “instrumental” in building Wilmington College’s renowned athletic training program. “She teaches some of the department’s most rigorous classes and specializes in preparing our seniors to take the Board of Certification examination,” she said. “Through her excellent teaching and guidance, WC seniors are well prepared and are able to pass the exam at a far higher rate than the national average.”