Seven Palo Alto faculty members will be honored at the upcoming National Institute of Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) conference this May in Austin, Texas.

Gerardo Mechler, Diana Nystedt, Veronica Rosas-Tatum, Gloria Hilario, Nancy Hall, Laura Oliver and Diane Dominguez were recognized by their peers for teaching excellence at the January Faculty/Staff Convocation, and their names were forwarded to NISOD.

NISOD has been hosting conferences for 20 years for more than 700 community colleges around the world, and Palo Alto College has been taking part since 1995. Palo Alto College currently has 137 full-time and 300 adjunct faculty members this semester.

The Dedication and Persistence Award went to Gerardo Mechler for Excellence in Teaching.

Mechler, Instructor of Reading, said: “I love it. I’m looking at retirement, but I can’t stop teaching. I’ll retire full-time, but I’ll continue teaching part-time. I’ll always be involved I’m sure.”

“Mr. Mechler encourages his students to come to class on time and his classes are packed,” said the faculty member who nominated him. “He is computer savvy, often using special effects presentations.”

A student on ratemyprofessor.com had this to say about Mechler: “Good teacher!! What I like the best was the way he teaches with such energy, and I am a visual learning student!!”

Another Excellence in Teaching for Dedication and Persistence Award went to Diana Nystedt.

“My long tenure here allowed me to see that sometimes we look for success in a very short amount of time,” said Nystedt, Instructor of English, “but we have to be patient because sometimes, it’ll take years.”

The faculty member who nominated Nystedt said, “Diana is a master teacher who continually takes every opportunity to follow students’ success.”

One student on ratemyprofessor.com wrote about Nystedt: “Must turn in work on time, and she critiques on formals pretty tough. She’s very nice though, easy to ask questions.”

The Creativity and Innovation Award went to Veronica Rosas-Tatum in Business.

“The thing that I like most about my job is the interaction with students,” said Rosas-Tatum.

“Ms. Tatum constantly demonstrates passion in her commitment to helping both her students and peers,” the faculty member who nominated her said.

A student on ratemyprofessor.com wrote about Rosas-Tatum: “Recommend highly. Makes class fun. She understands when situations arise. Gives time to make up assignments.”

The Teaching Excellence for Librarian or Counselor Award went to Gloria Hilario, the lead librarian for Children and Youth Services.

“I think that when I first started, not that I thought I knew everything, but I thought I was really well prepared,” said Hilario. “Now I realize how little I knew then, and how much I still want to learn to teach better.”

A faculty person who nominated Hilario said, “As a children’s librarian, Ms. Hilario has provided children’s literature students a wealth of resources relative to the world of children’s literature.”

The Day Adjunct Awards went to Nancy Hall in English and Laura Oliver in Speech.

“When I came here, it just felt like home the very first day I walked on campus,” said Hall.

“Through her extensive committee work, she has provided extemporary service to our students and to the English Department,” said the faculty member that nominated Hall.

A ratemyprofessor.com student wrote: “Be prepared to work in her class. She is lenient but stands her ground, but funny and charismatic. I enjoyed her class very much!!!”

The faculty member that nominated Laura Oliver said: “Ms. Oliver brings much energy and enthusiasm to this campus and her classroom. She is very involved and concerned about students.”

The Evening/ Weekend Adjunct Award went to Diane Dominguez in Business.

“Diana takes time to connect with each student on a personal level,” said the faculty member that nominated Dominguez. “She is approachable and interested in the career aspirations of the students that she teaches.”

“She is very good and understanding. Will work with you,” wrote a student about Dominguez on ratemyprofessor.com.

he Palo Alto faculty members who received a NISOD award are entitled to attend the International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence in May, which pays special tribute to the 2009 Excellence Award recipients.

As the session closes, recipients will be asked to stand and have special medallions formally hung around their necks.