Three Holland College employees were acknowledged for their contributions to the college with Holland College Excellence Awards recently during a small ceremony in the Florence Simmons Performance Hall on the Prince of Wales Campus.

The Staff Excellence Award, which is presented to a staff member who has made an exceptional contribution within Holland College and the communities it serves, was presented to Colleen Myer, a curriculum support technician. She was presented the award in part for her exemplary efforts at the beginning of the pandemic, when she designed and delivered training sessions for instructors moving their curriculum online for distance learning and responded to many instructors who needed individual support.

The Teaching Excellence Award honours a faculty member who has exhibited consistent excellence in teaching and has had a significant impact on the personal and academic growth of students. This year’s recipient was GED instructor Sally Hitchcock. Ms. Hitchcock has been teaching at the college since 1998. Since then, hundreds of her students have been able to improve their lives and the lives of their children and make a positive contribution in their community because of her commitment to their success.

The Facilities Excellence Award, which honours a staff member who demonstrates exemplary performance and has made invaluable contributions within the facilities department and to Holland College as a whole, was presented to Boyd Hawkins, a facilities support technician at the Tourism and Culinary Centre. Hawkins, who has been employed by the college since 2017, has contributed to improving efficiency at the TCC and is noted for his commitment to the college.

College president Dr. Alexander (Sandy) MacDonald and Jill Cameron, director of Human Resources, acknowledged the milestones and awards in a virtual format.

“On behalf of our Management team, I am honoured to congratulate Colleen, Sally and Boyd as this year’s Excellence Award recipients. They are very deserving of this recognition and demonstrate the high caliber of our employees," said Dr. MacDonald.

President MacDonald also commended the 64 staff members who were recognized for their years of service to the college.

“Initiatives such as Staff Appreciation Day and the Holland College Excellence Awards provide us with the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the many dedicated individuals who make Holland College such a great place to work and learn,” he said.

Watch the presentation of the Staff Excellence Awards and the staff service awards here.

In this picture: Holland College President Dr. Alexander (Sandy) MacDonald, left, and Justin Dunn, Director of Facilities Management (right) present Boyd Hawkins with the Holland College Facilities Excellence award.