SOUTH HOLLAND, IL–Members of the Village of South Holland Education Commission visited South Suburban College’s May Meeting of the Board of Trustees to make a special award presentation to longtime college Biology instructor Gerald (G.A.) Griffith.
“The Red Tulip Award is presented annually to educators who work with South Holland students and who demonstrate outstanding service by going beyond their daily duties to effectively change student lives,” said Mike Nylen, Chairman of the Village of South Holland Education Commission. “On behalf of the Commission and the Mayor, Clerk and Trustees of the Village of South Holland, we are proud to have presented this award to such a worthy recipient as Gerald Griffith.”
Nominations are evaluated using a scoring rubric for demonstrating a high commitment toward student achievement, extending oneself beyond the classroom, exhibiting enthusiasm about teaching and caring for students, modeling appropriate behavior for students and exemplifying professionalism. The Red Tulip Award also comes with a $250 check from the Village. Griffith, an instructor at SSC since 1990, said he was honored to be recognized with his first award.
“I would like to thank the Education Commission and the Village of South Holland for this honor,” said Griffith, a South Holland resident. “I feel fortunate to have been able to work with people I enjoy personally as well as respecting their views on education. It sounds cliché but I always tell my students to do something that they love and it won’t feel like work, and that’s how I feel about teaching at South Suburban College.”
In addition to serving as a Biology instructor for 29 years, Griffith serves as Department Chair for Life Sciences and has served as President of the Faculty Union at SSC for more than 10 years.
Griffith added, “SSC has two advantages in the classroom that I think are important to student success – we have small class sizes that allow students to connect with faculty, and our faculty’s primary focus is on teaching, rather than research.”
Mr. Griffith will also be recognized at the Village of South Holland Board Meeting on June 3rd at 8:00 p.m.
South Suburban College is a community college with locations in South Holland and Oak Forest that has been providing quality, accessible education for more than 90 years. Summer and fall class registrations are currently in progress. Visit ssc.edu for more information.
