Career Education Honors Faculty Excellence With 13th Annual Educator of the Year Awards

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.--()--At its 13th annual Educator of the Year Awards this week, Career Education Corporation (CEC) (NASDAQ: CECO) honored some of the finest instructors, among its more than 6,000 faculty members nationwide, for their dedication to student success.

“We take great pride in our ability to enhance our students’ lives through education, and the quality of our faculty plays a significant role in that effort,” said Scott Steffey, president and chief executive officer of Career Education. “The instructors we’ve honored with the Educator of the Year award are an inspiration — true examples of the power an excellent teacher with passion, knowledge and real-world experience can have on a student.”

Faculty, staff, students and administration submitted more than 600 nominations for Educator of the Year. A group of 30 internal reviewers then assessed more than 200 nominee applications. Winners were selected in each of four categories: Academic Leadership, Community Service, Instruction and Student Success. The winners are:

Academic Leadership: Chef Austin Yancey — Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago

Chef Austin Yancey has taken his love of cooking from his grandmother’s kitchen to the heights of Alinea, one of the finest restaurants in the world, located in Chicago. There he experienced the pressures of working under a world-renowned chef with exacting standards. He later returned to Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago – where he received his formal culinary training – to help educate future culinary professionals. But his work has gone far beyond his classroom duties.

Yancey organized the creation of the Le Cordon Bleu Chicago Competition Club beginning in March 2010. Over the past three years, hundreds of students have participated in the club and under Yancey’s instruction and the competition team has earned many medals in culinary events while providing invaluable training to students. Students wanting to work in fine dining receive practical experience under the type of pressure they would face in a top-tier restaurant, but in an environment where a mistake is just a learning experience. His commitment to students in the club includes working with them for six hours or more every Saturday, in addition to his regular weekday class schedule.

Yancey holds an Associate Degree in Applied Science in Culinary Arts as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary Management; both from Le Cordon Bleu. He also holds the designation of certified executive chef from the American Culinary Federation.

Finalists: James Casas — International Academy of Design & Technology Las Vegas and Timothy Gleason — Colorado Technical University Online.

Community Service: Dr. Richard Hough — Colorado Technical University Online

Dr. Richard Hough has taken his career in law enforcement and criminal justice education beyond the United States to influence nations around the world. As a member of the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council in Pensacola, Fla., he briefs people from around the globe who are visiting the United States as part of the State Department’s International Visiting Leadership Program.

Hough has shared insights on contemporary American policing methods, public administration and the response to domestic violence with law enforcement, political and civic leaders from around the world. Recently, he briefed a group of women representatives from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Uzbekistan and other central- and south-Asian countries. Among them was a member of her country’s parliament, a mayor and leaders in business.

Not only do his interactions with international leaders help developing countries build stronger democracies, but he shares stories from these encounters with his students, enriching their educational experience.

Hough earned his Master in Public Administration degree at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and his doctorate in education at the University of West Florida.

Finalists: Cynthia Calongne — Colorado Technical University Colorado Springs and Joan Mahon — Everblue Training Institute.

Instruction: Brandon Walker — International Academy of Design & Technology (IADT) – Seattle

Brandon Walker has gone from designing packaging for Oscar Mayer Foods and Pillsbury, to serving as creative director for video game company Sierra On-line and working in creative agencies. When serving as an adjunct faculty member, students begged him to teach one more Advertising Design section at night so they could have him as their instructor. So he did, in addition to his full-time day job. Two months ago, Walker joined the staff of IADT Seattle as a full time Visual Communication instructor.

He creates an “agency experience” in the classroom. That means class begins with a team meeting in the front of the room. There are ideation/brainstorming sessions. Concepts are displayed for critiques. And when midterm and final projects are presented, professional attire is required.

Like so many of our best instructors, he brings his professional experience to the classroom, often sharing real-life stories from his career and helping students tap their inner creativity. These are important reasons why work produced by students in his classes has earned a total of 20 Student Addy Awards in the American Advertising Federation Annual Addy Awards competition.

Walker attended Northern Illinois University and majored in visual communications.

Finalists: Ami Gates — Colorado Technical University Online, Romeo Pastor — Sanford-Brown Institute in New York.

Student Success: Cindy Simpson — Sanford-Brown College in Fenton, Mo.

Dr. Cindy Simpson took the lead in developing programs at her campus that celebrate students, show their families how hard they are working and expose our students to how others overcome adversity to achieve great things.

She recently created "Bring a Friend to School Week," during which students brought friends and family to class for a day to experience what it’s like to attend school so they might appreciate the challenges. She’s arranged pep rallies, inspiring guest speakers and community outreach events, including "Breakfast with Santa" for students, their families, and the community. She has also coordinated volunteer efforts with local charities, helping students raise money for St. Jude's and other organizations – supporting the charity while improving students’ self-esteem.

Simpson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology and her Doctorate of Chiropractic from Logan College of Chiropractic in Chesterfield, Mo.

Finalists: Marshall Welsh — Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta and Suzanne Malek — American InterContinental University Online.

About Career Education Corporation

The colleges, schools and universities that are part of the Career Education Corporation (“CEC”) family offer high-quality education to a diverse student population of more than 75,000 students across the world in a variety of career-oriented disciplines through online, on-ground and hybrid learning program offerings. The more than 90 campuses that serve these students are located throughout the United States and in France, the United Kingdom and Monaco, and offer doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s and associate degrees and diploma and certificate programs.

CEC is an industry leader whose institutions are recognized globally. Those institutions include, among others, American InterContinental University (“AIU”); Brooks Institute; Colorado Technical University (“CTU”); Harrington College of Design; INSEEC Group (“INSEEC”) Schools; International University of Monaco (“IUM”); International Academy of Design & Technology (“IADT”); Le Cordon Bleu North America (“LCB”); and Sanford-Brown Institutes and Colleges. Through its schools, CEC is committed to providing high-quality education, enabling students to graduate and pursue rewarding career opportunities. For more information, see CEC's website at www.careered.com. The website includes a detailed listing of individual campus locations and web links to CEC's colleges, schools, and universities.

Contacts

Career Education Corporation
Mark Spencer, 847-585-3802
mdspencer@careered.com

Release Summary

Career Education honored some of its finest instructors at its 13th Annual Educator of the Year Awards this week.

Contacts

Career Education Corporation
Mark Spencer, 847-585-3802
mdspencer@careered.com