Gwinnett Tech Names Early Childhood Care & Education Director as Perkins Award Winner for Excellence in Technical Instruction
Gwinnett Tech has named Early Childhood Care and Education Program Director Priscilla Smith, B.S., M.S., Ed.S., Ph.D., as its 2007 Rick Perkins Award winner.
The Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction honors technical education's most outstanding instructors. The award has been an ongoing statewide program since 1991 and is designed to recognize and honor technical college instructors who make significant contributions to technical education through innovation and leadership in their fields.
“Priscilla is an enthusiastic supporter of technical education - both as it fits in the overall economic landscape of Georgia, as well as its role in helping further the personal goals and educational aspirations of individuals,” said Gwinnett Tech President Sharon Rigsby. “She works tirelessly to support the college and her students, and is a fine and fitting recipient of the Perkins Award.”
Smith joined Gwinnett Tech as the early childhood care and education program director when the college introduced the program in 2003. Since then, Gwinnett Tech's early childhood care and education program has grown from 11 to 200+ students. Smith has also been instrumental in staffing and curriculum development for Gwinnett Tech's new state-of-the-art learning and training facility, the D. Scott Hudgens, Jr. Early Education Center. The college's year-old, 26,000 square-foot Center provides students studying early childhood education at Gwinnett Tech a hands-on experience in a quality learning environment, while simultaneously serving as a nurturing educational center for children aged 6 weeks to 12 years.
Last year Smith was also honored as the 'best of the year' by the Georgia Association on Young Children (GAYC) for her excellence in her role as program director for early childhood care and education at Gwinnett Tech. GAYC is a non-profit membership organization that promotes quality early care and education for young children.
Instructors are nominated for the Rick Perkins Award by their respective technical college. Competition among instructors occurs at the consortia level, and the six winners - one from each consortium - then move to the state-level competition. The state winner will be announced in September.
The recipient of this distinguished award is recognized as Georgia's Technical College System's Instructor of the Year. Rick Perkins Award winners serve as ambassadors for technical education in Georgia.
To learn more about the Perkins Award or the early childhood care and education program at Gwinnett Tech, call 770-962-7580 or visit www.GwinnettTech.edu.
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