Edwards honored as Patrick Henry Community College's Teaching Faculty of the Year

MARTINSVILLE – Every year, Patrick Henry Community College recognizes one outstanding instructor as the Teaching Faculty Member of the Year.

The chosen instructor is recognized for making a tremendous impact on the campus and in students’ lives and receives a $2000 cash prize and a significant professional development stipend from the Patrick Henry Community College Foundation.

During the college’s commencement ceremony this weekend, this year’s award was presented to Daniel Edwards the college’s Instructor of Industrial Electronics Technology.

Edwards was instrumental in implementing the Mechatronics program at PHCC in 2013. Since the program’s inception, it has grown explosively – issuing over 300 national certifications. For six years in a row, Edward’s program has maintained a 100% passing rate.

Every student that has taken the national industry certification exam has passed.

This past year, Edwards was influential in coordinating the college’s partnership with the National Coalition of Certification Centers [NC3] and Festo. These partnerships have provided his students with numerous opportunities to gain skills and credentials that are in high demand by local employers.

Because of the caliber of the program that Edwards has built, a multitude of employers from around the region are actively seeking to recruit his graduates.

“Daniel Edwards exemplifies everything that is good about PHCC’s faculty,” says Colin Ferguson Dean of Science Technology Engineering, Math – Health and Applied Programs. “He is there for his students. His graduates are successful. He is fully dedicated to student success. He deserves to be recognized.”

Michelle Zollars, an Associate Professor of Developmental English, was recognized as PHCC Distinguished Faculty of 2019 and received $750 from the PHCC Foundation for her commitment to student success.

Zollars’ role at the college extends well beyond the classroom.

From training adjunct faculty members to redesigning policies to increase student engagement, she consistently goes above and beyond to ensure her students and her fellow instructors have everything they need to make PHCC an excellent learning environment.