Owens professor receives national award

While it's nice to be recognized with a national award for her teaching, Jen Hazel said "that isn't why I do things." Hazel, professor of English at Owens Community College, was recently selected for the 2022 Dale P. Parnell Faculty Distinction Recognition by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). Awarded to select individuals who make a difference in community college classrooms across the United States, this highly competitive national designation honors faculty who are active in their students' lives and in their colleges' activities to ensure student success. "I love reading, and I love the idea of helping someone learn to write," Hazel said. So, she chose to major in English. She studied at the University of Toledo as an undergraduate, then earned her master's degree at Eastern Michigan University. Hazel said that if she were paid $1 for every student who told her they weren't a good writer, "I would be very rich." Somewhere along the line, she said, these students had an instructor or an experience that taught them to believe that. She said what's most rewarding for her is the "light bulb" moment, when the student says, "You're right, I CAN do that." At Owens, Hazel teaches a variety of classes including literature, business writing, technical writing, composition and mass media. Most of her students are not English majors, but are trying to improve their writing skills to help them in other fields. "I love talking about literature," Hazel said. "I love talking about how it mirrors our life." Owens has campuses in both Findlay and Toledo. Hazel, of Sylvania, teaches primarily at the Toledo campus, but also teaches virtually to students from both locations. Hazel has taught at Owens for 15 years. In addition to her classroom instruction, she serves as the campus assessment lead and on the completion, center for teaching and innovation implementation, and opening week teams. She also co-chairs the curriculum committee and the BIG Read, and chairs the Oregon Road Film Series and The Silo committees. In the humanities department, where she is the program director, she spearheads the effort to embed tutoring into Composition I courses and is incorporating OER materials into other courses, including Composition II, to ensure students have access to the support and materials they need to succeed. She said the Big READ aims to teach students about perspectives different from their own. Last year's book focused on poverty, while this year's selection focuses on themes of identity and race. As for the campus assessment, Hazel said that as part of Owens' accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission, the college must demonstrate that students are actually learning. She is part of a faculty-driven process to ensure this. In the Oregon Road Film Series, a group of faculty and staff show films and hold talks connected to their themes. There is also a "48-hour film challenge" in which students must create a short film within that time period. "Speaking on behalf of the entire Owens community, I am thrilled for Jen and applaud the award committee's recognition of what she has achieved," said Owens President Dione D. Somerville. "Her passion is evident from her many committee activities, her efforts to increase student access to Open Education Resources (OER) and her commitment to providing rich and relevant learning experiences for all. Jen consistently goes above and beyond to find ways that each student can learn, and we are so fortunate to have her on our team." Hazel will travel to New York City at the end of the month, along with Somerville, to receive the award at a ceremony and private reception. This is the second consecutive year that Owens faculty have been recognized nationally for teaching excellence. Associate professor of math Sarah Long received the Distinguished Faculty Recognition in 2021. Arthurs: 419-427-8494