TMCC-NFA Honors Members for Their Service

Blisin Hestiyas receives Legacy Award from Jim New

 At the Year-End Potluck Picnic Celebration on April 28, TMCC-NFA honored several of its members for their outstanding and on-going contributions in service to the institution and their coworkers that, otherwise, would be unacknowledged by the College. 

TMCC-NFA Legacy Award

Math Professor, Blisin Hestiyas, became the first recipient of TMCC-NFA's Legacy Award for her outstanding service on behalf of colleagues in academic freedom, shared governance, and employee rights. She took the reins of a difficult issue that affected all faculty who use Canvas to teach or support their classes. While negotiators worked to strengthen the collective bargaining agreement to restrict unscheduled visits to faculty classes, Blisin realized that the language would not necessarily prevent unannounced access because an administrator's entry wasn't visible to the faculty member. In her role as chair of the Web College Committee of the Faculty Senate, Blisin worked with other concerned faculty members to craft a proposal that tightened permissions and required visitors to be granted access to the class by either the faculty member or web college, which created a record of the visit. Her action has solved a concern expressed for years by nearly all faculty who use these online tools. She spent much the 2022-23 academic year working on behalf of her colleagues to protect academic freedom and enforce shared governance.

Professors Beth Humphrey and Mark Maynard were also honored with Outstanding Member certificates for their nominations. 

Beth was nominated for working tirelessly as a member of the 2022 contract negotiation team, participating in marathon sessions to conclude the negotiations in time for the November Board of Regents meeting. She is recognized for tenaciously defending the rights of fellow faculty members and serving on multiple tenure committees

Mark's peers recognized him as an emerging leader for NFA. He actively participates in chapter meetings and consistently defends the rights of coworkers. In service to TMCC, he is completing a second masters degree in Journalism to fill a void left by the departure of the previous Journalism instructor. 

Academic Freedom Fighter

Professor Lars Jensen was also recognized for his on-going advocacy of faculty rights on all fronts with an award entitled Academic Freedom Fighter. It honors his steadfast defense of the bedrock principles of higher education against challenges from a multitude of directions. Fearlessly speaking truth to power, Lars has succeeded in preventing administrative overreach that had implications for all academic faculty.

Certificate of Appreciation

Scott Huber, Julia Hammett, and Cheryl Cardoza received framed certificates in appreciation for their years of leadership of TMCC-NFA, frequently overcoming significant obstacles. Their stewardship laid the foundation for Local 6766 to become the most successful and effective organization of higher education professionals in the state.

Recognition of Service

TMCC-NFA members Cheryl Cardoza, Beth Humphrey, Ted Lambert, and Jim New were also recognized for service as the chapter's negotiating team which resulted in a new contract that was approved in November by the Board of Regents.