Educator earns posthumous award
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on April 15, 2007 2:04 AM
From staff reports
Ann Erwin Spicer, who taught at Wayne Community College until her death in January, has been posthumously honored for her contributions with students.
Ms. Spicer was selected as the N.C. Association for Developmental Edu-cation's 2007 Outstanding Develop-mental Educator of the Year. Recipients must have given a lifetime of service to students through professional excellence and personal commitment.
Ms. Spicer taught English and most recently monitored the success of student groups who traditionally have faced significant barriers to success, including students of color and low-income students, for the college's Achieving the Dream initiative.
Stephanie Rook, NCADE awards committee chair, announced the award. She said the executive board believed Ms. Spicer's contributions to the field of developmental education were outstanding and met the criteria for the recognition.
"We were ex-tremely impres-sed by the institutional and administrative support given to the nomination," she said.
Wayne Community Vice President Kay Albertson said, "All of this speaks to how much we valued Ann. She is missed, but her contributions live on."
The award will be presented during the association's annual statewide conference this fall. Accepting the award will be a member of Ms. Spicer's family and Miriam Wessell, the chairman of the college's developmental studies department. The award includes a plaque to be hung at the college and a $300 prize to be given to the Foundation of WCC to be earmarked as a scholarship for a deserving entering developmental student.
Ms. Spicer's nomination will also be submitted to the National Association for Developmental Education's Awards Committee for consideration for its 2008 award.