NCMC graduate Josie Young was honored at the spring 2017 conference of the Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education held in Columbia, Missouri as the 2017 recipient of the Ruth Brinkmann Award. Josie was presented with the award by current MACTE-Community College Division President, Mark Taylor and MACTE-CCD President-Elect, Greg Stotler.
Josie graduated from NCMC with her Associate of Arts in Teaching Degree in December and since has transferred to Central Methodist University to finish her undergraduate degree in both Elementary and Special Education.
Dr. Johannah Baugher, NCMC Teacher Education Instructor, stated, “Josie is very deserving of this prestigious award! Not only did she represent our program well, but also our institution. Josie is a natural leader and displays a commitment to serving others. I know she will serve the students in her future classroom well as an effective, passionate educator. We wish her the best as she finishes her degree and soon begins her teaching career.”
Ruth Brinkmann was a pioneer in community college teacher education. The concept of allowing community college students to take courses that met teacher certification requirements was almost unheard of in this country when Ruth started the first St. Louis area teacher education program at Florissant Valley Community College in 1987. The year before, the Missouri State Board of Education had made it possible for community colleges to be involved in teacher education by delineating seven courses required for teacher certification that could be offered by the state’s two-year colleges. Ruth did all the groundbreaking work of developing those courses for her campus and shepherding them through the St. Louis Community College’s new course approval process.
Because of her contributions to community college teacher education in Missouri, the MACTE-CCD created the Ruth Brinkmann Award in 2011. The awardee is selected among student entries from Missouri community colleges (13 community colleges). The criteria reviewed for the award includes grade point average, an essay, and a letter of recommendation.
Photo (left to right): Mark Taylor MACTE Community College Division (CCD) President, Josie Young, Dr. Johannah Baugher NCMC Teacher Education Instructor, and Greg Stotler MACTE-CCD President-Elect
