Professor Kevin Blackwell earns Faculty Member Award from Association of College Trustees
Join us in congratulating Computer Information Systems Faculty Kevin Blackwell, who has received the Association of College Trustees Faculty Member Award for 2023. Kevin was recognized for his innovation in the classroom, as well as his commitments to student achievement, and closing equity gaps.
Also recognized was the Bremer Trust, a real estate trust for which Olympic College is the sole beneficiary, which was named Partner of the Year by ACT.
Kevin Blackwell
Kevin began his journey at the college as a student. He had planned to transfer to Seattle University to pursue a bachelor’s degree, but before he even graduated from OC in 1990 he received a job offer to work for the college in a new instructional computing department.
He went on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees while working full-time, and he is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program. After working as an administrator, he began teaching as an adjunct before becoming a tenured faculty member. He has been a full-time instructor in the Computer Information Systems department for more than 15 years.
Kevin is an innovative teacher who leveraged technology in the classroom long before the COVID-19 pandemic. Online classes have long been a staple of his curriculum as a way to ensure working students are able to access his programs.
Kevin is keenly aware of the access, equity, and achievement gaps facing OC and all of higher education, and he has worked hard to close those gaps. Data from across all his classes show that in the last three years, economically disadvantaged students earned more As, Bs, and Cs than students with no economic disadvantage, and that their failure rates were cut nearly in half compared to the prior three years. Similarly, over the past three years, the share of historically underserved students earning As increased by 14% over the prior three years, with historically underserved students earning 4% percent more As in Kevin's classes than non-historically underserved students.
Congratulations to Kevin on his well-deserved recognition in receiving the ACT Faculty Member Award. His dedication to student success and equity through the use of innovation and technology are inspiring.
Find out how Kevin and the Computer Information Systems program at OC can help you Reach New Heights!
Bremer Trust
The Bremer Trust has had a tremendous impact on student access and success through the decades. The trust manages all of the holdings of the Bremer family, the founders of Bremerton. The list of programs and projects the trust has contributed to include:
- Bremer Student Center (Bremerton Campus)
- Sophia Bremer Child Development Center (Bremerton Campus)
- Olympic Court West (90 bed student housing complex near Bremerton Campus)
- Shop Building Renovation (Bremerton Campus in progress)
- John Bremer Welding Center (Shelton Campus)
- Ed & John Bremer Chemistry/Physics Lab (Poulsbo Campus)
Thank you to the trust’s former and current trustees: John C. Mitchell, Chair; Joan Hanten, Trustee; Barbara Stephenson, Trustee.
Visit the SBCTC website to find out more about the ACT.
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