News and Events

Announcements

• The President’s Award for Excellence in Customer Service is presented annually and recognizes consistent delivery of outstanding customer service to Granite State College students throughout the year. To nominate a staff member, please fill out the Nomination form.
  

Grants & Awards

• Kathleen Willard is the recipient of the 2007 President's Award.  President Karol LaCroix commented on the ongoing devotion and dedication that Kathleen has demonstrated to students at Granite State College.  “Kathleen defines for all of us what it means to be a student focused institution.  Both individually and collectively, she puts the interests of our students first.  Just recently she became personally involved with a student who was struggling with visa issues and facing possible deportation because of administrative lapses within his case.  Kathleen was successful in getting congressional support to assist this student and because of her efforts his situation has been resolved.  This is just one of many examples of Kathleen's willingness to advocate for her students. In addition, she has an impeccable record of providing them with sound educational and career advice.  She is most deserving of this recognition.”
• GSC and UNH Manchester received a grant for $41,764 from NHHEAF to extend its collaborative project Programa de Transicion al la Universidad. This project is a college transition program for Latino/Hispanic students in southern New Hampshire.
• GSC Office of Education Programs received a Special Education Preservice Training Improvement grant of $429,900 from the US Department of Education.  Look for updates.
  

Distinguished Faculty Awards

Claudia Michael has been a valuable Granite State College faculty member since 1999. A talented art educator who is capable of teaching students with varying levels of skill, differing learning styles, and diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, she is also an award-winning artist in her own right. She has earned a number of fellowships and awards, including two Fulbright Fellowships, served on several boards and councils, and her artwork has been exhibited widely over the past ten years. In addition to teaching, Claudia's professional activities at Granite State College have included developing special topics courses, mentoring independent learning contracts, and assessing students' experiential learning portfolios. She maintains high academic standards in the classroom and is noted as being a knowledgeable, supportive and inspirational instructor. Feedback from student evaluations is consistently very positive and reflects high quality teaching and genuinely high levels of student academic achievement. Ms. Michael holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from Emmanuel College and a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialty in Creative Learning, Leslie College.

Gail Poitrast has taught math courses for Granite State College since 2002. She excels at helping students overcome their fear of math and, ultimately, enjoy math while mastering the material. She uses a variety of teaching methods and introduced the use of interactive technology resources into the curriculum to provide additional support and multiple learning modes to students who struggle with math concepts. Gail successfully taught her first totally online course in the fall of 2006, demonstrating a pioneering spirit as well as dedication to her students. As the college's first math resource faculty member, Gail revised the entire math curriculum in consultation with other math faculty. Other professional activities at Granite State College include creation of the new mathematics strand of the education curriculum and oversight of the mathematics component of the Davis Foundation-funded outcomes assessment project. Gail's students greatly appreciate her ability to create a relaxed learning environment while challenging them to succeed.
Gail B Poitrast holds a B.S. in Education, Westfield State College and a M.Ed. in Secondary Mathematics, Plymouth State University.