Honored in part for enthusiastically sharing their real-world experience and knowledge as a foundation for success of Lone Star College-CyFair students are three Adjunct Faculty Excellence Award winners.
This year’s outstanding award recipients are Dr. Elena Mehl and Dr. Erik Hoyer, who teach Anatomy and Physiology, and Dr. Claire Phillips, who teaches EDUC 1300.
Drawing on their life and career experience in chiropractic care, Dr. Mehl and Dr. Hoyer have passionately taught LSC-CyFair students and future healthcare professionals for 13 and 16 years, respectively.
“With a fascination for how the body works and how it can heal, I aspire to nurture that same interest in my students. My role is to impart not only knowledge and critical thinking skills, but also enthusiasm and inquisitiveness about the structure and function of the human body,” said Dr. Mehl. “It is a joy to catch a glimpse of the future that is possible for all of us as these students learn, mature and enter their chosen professions.”
Dr. Hoyer said “Presenting science in a way that is applicable to treating and caring for patients brings interest, relevance and motivation to students. I find this can drive students to do the work necessary to translate course material into career knowledge that can change the kind of future healthcare provider the students will become…. I believe that when students are confident in themselves and their work, they will find success in many aspects of their lives.”
Sharing her corporate marketing and management experience when she started as a business teacher more than three decades ago, Dr. Phillips transitioned and has taught LSC-CyFair EDUC 1300 college success courses off and on for 10 years now.
“To me, teaching is an extension of my passion for giving back to the Cy-Fair community and its next generation,” said Dr. Phillips, a longtime Cy-Fair Education Foundation board member with LSC administrator experience that allows her to help students, particularly first-generation, navigate the higher education system. “I have mostly moved away from lecture and have segued into more of a facilitated style where students share knowledge with their classmates, especially in the lab setting where they work together and help each other.”
These deserving award recipients are recognized at the campus and system level.