FSOS alum honored with national award
The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) awarded the 2021 Dale P. Parnell Faculty Distinction Recognition to Jeremy Pagel, a member of the Lakeshore Technical College faculty, Cleveland, WI. Lakeshore is one of Wisconsin’s 16 technical colleges.
A 2000 graduate of the Family Social Science Bachelor of Science program and a 2001 graduate of the Family Education program in the College of Human Development (the precursor to CEHD), Pagel has been teaching Sociology and Diversity courses at Lakeshore since 2007. In addition to teaching, he also serves as co-chair of the Lakeshore Diversity & Inclusion Committee, as an executive member of the Lakeshore Education Association, and is a member of both the Lakeshore Diversity Summit planning team and the Lakeshore Multicultural Advisory Council.
The Dale P. Parnell Distinguished Faculty award was named for former AACC President and CEO Dale P. Parnell to recognize individuals who demonstrate passion for students and for teaching, support students, inside and outside of the classroom, and go above and beyond what is required to ensure that students are successful in their academic endeavors.
“As a sociology instructor in today’s sensitive environment, Jeremy’s passion for helping students discover and learn to evaluate for themselves the many facets of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion is sincerely appreciated. His innate ability to build trust with his students by being open, vulnerable, and real is admirable,” says Lakeshore President Dr. Paul Carlsen.
Pagel was a first-generation college student and was highly involved in the former College of Human Ecology (merged with CEHD in 2006) Student Ambassador Board that worked with potential and current students as well as college administrators, staff, and faculty. He was also an undergraduate student office worker, an administrative fellow in CHE’s Office of Continuing Professional Studies, and a student ambassador to the CHE Centennial Planning Committee in 2000.
Pagel was also the student speaker at his 2000 commencement ceremony. After receiving his Masters of Education, he taught in Saint Paul Public Schools from 2001-2007 and was an active member in the CHE Alumni Society.
“There were so many wonderful experiences that I associate with my time in McNeal Hall, but what sticks out in my memory is the passion that the Family Social Science faculty had for their content and for connecting with their students,” says Pagel. “I never felt like a number in Family Social Science. Faculty addressed me by name and engaged me in my learning. I adopted this norm within my own teaching. Because the faculty had intellectually diverse academic backgrounds, I always felt that there were extensive opportunities for my future.”
Pagel credits dedicated faculty members “whose passion for knowledge ignited my own.”
“The knowledge and perspectives that I gained from my Family Social Sciences courses and the faculty who taught them have been vital to my teaching in both urban and rural communities.”