POPLARVILLE – Dr. Terri Smith Ruckel received the John and Suanne Roueche Excellence Award at the League for Innovation in the Community College Conference.
The Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding contributions and leadership by community college faculty and staff. Ruckel was the only recipient from Mississippi.
“Receiving this award is one of the most significant achievements of my career,” she said.
Ruckel is Honors Coordinator and Honors and English instructor at PRCC’s Forrest County Center. She also is advisor to the Beta Tau Gamma chapter of Phi Theta Kappa and Sigma Delta Kappa English honor society.
When asked by the League for Innovations to supply a statement about her teaching, Ruckel submitted the following: “The underlying philosophy in my teaching comes from a fundamentally optimistic view. I see each student as capable of success.”
The League for Innovation in the Community College is an international, nonprofit association dedicated to catalyzing the community college movement. More than 800 institutions, including PRCC, are members of the League Alliance. Ruckel and other recipients were recognized in a series of activities and promotions and honored during special events at the conference March 10-12 in Boston.
John E. and Suanne D. Roueche, leaders in the community college field and early proponents of the idea that teachers have major responsibility for how well students perform in the classroom, have been partners and friends of the League for Innovation in the Community College for more than 35 years.
Dr. Benny Hornsby, former social sciences chair at the Forrest County Center, received the Excellence Award in 2013.
Dr. Terri Smith Ruckel
