What Inspires CNM’s 2024 Distinguished Faculty Recipients?

CNM was proud to honor our Distinguished Faculty Recipients at the Convocation event back in September. Two faculty members from each of CNM’s academic schools and CNM Ingenuity were honored and the recipients were chosen based on their innovation in the classroom and ongoing commitment to CNM students.

We recently caught up with each of the recipients to talk more about what this award means to them, how they keep teaching exciting, and their plans for the future. The full list of Distinguished Faculty members along with their responses are below.

• Carol Rogers, full-time faculty member in the School of Business, Hospitality and Technology
• JoLynne Chavez-Vigil, part-time faculty member in the School of Business, Hospitality and Technology
• Jennifer Chavez-Miller, full-time faculty member in the School of Education
• Cassandra Tobin, part-time faculty member in the School of Health, Wellness and Public Safety
• Tricia Beach, full-time faculty member in the School of Liberal Arts
• William Heenan, part-time faculty member in the School of Liberal Arts
• Erica Voges, full-time faculty member in the School of Math, Science and Engineering
• Kahlid Ifzarene, part-time faculty member in the School of Math, Science and Engineering
• Robin A. Fitzpatrick, full-time faculty member in the School of Nursing & Patient Support
• Heather Rider, part-time faculty member in the School of Nursing & Patient Support
• John Beltran, full-time faculty member in the School of Skilled Trades & Arts
• Angelika Rinnhofer, part-time faculty member in the School of Skilled Trades & Arts
• Brian Rashap, full-time faculty member for CNM Ingenuity
• Donald Maez, part-time faculty member for CNM Ingenuity

Q: What does it mean to you to win the Distinguished Faculty award?

• A (Donald): It is indeed an honor to be selected to be a Distinguished Faculty Member. Having been an instructor in various schools within CNM for over 20 years, I am proud to be part of an institution that allows instructors to take on new and rewarding challenges. This recognition is a testament to our mission of serving students within our community.
• A (William): This recognition reflects the great students and supportive colleagues I’ve had the good fortune to work with over the years. Also, this honor is a wonderful way to wrap up a 14-year teaching career at CNM, at other state institutions, and abroad.
• A (Angelika): Winning the Distinguished Faculty Member award is an honor, and I feel deeply grateful for the recognition. To me, this award signifies that the work I’m passionate about—fostering creativity, critical thinking, and equal opportunities for all my students—has made a meaningful difference. It reinforces my belief in the profound impact of education.
• A (Tricia): I feel sincerely honored to have been recognized with the Distinguished Faculty Award. It brings me a profound sense of fulfillment knowing my leadership and peers have noticed and validated my commitment to teaching and to my academic career. Being acknowledged affirms that my work has made a positive difference in the lives of students and with the college. The award inspires me to continue my commitment to my students and the CNM community.

Q: What is your favorite part of being an instructor?

• A (Brian): The students. And specifically, those moments what you see the lightbulb of understanding go on in a student's eyes. That instance when a student who may be struggling with a concept or a task overcomes that hurdle and has that "ah ha." No matter what else happens that day, just one "ah ha" is enough to make the day great and bring me back tomorrow.
• A (Cassandra): My favorite part of being an instructor is coming up with creative ways to help students retain information and develop effective study habits, while learning about a career that I have loved being a part of. I love finding new and engaging ways to make learning enjoyable, whether through interactive activities, hands-on exercises, or collaborative projects. I also value the opportunity to be a source of support for my students. Building meaningful connections, offering encouragement, and seeing their confidence grow as they achieve their goals are what make this role so rewarding.
• A (Donald): Being an instructor is truly the best part of my day! Unlike the corporate world, I am able to witness "real-time" reaction and meaning in the students’ ability to translate what I am teaching to what they apply in the field. I am fortunate in that the subjects I teach have a theory and lab component, so I receive immediate feedback from the class. I also have a supportive team that understands the safety aspects of this dangerous trade.
• A (Angelika): My favorite part of being an instructor is witnessing the transformative growth my students undergo. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing the moment when a concept clicks or when their perspective broadens in a way they hadn’t anticipated. It’s incredibly fulfilling to guide them through the process of developing not just their technical skills but also their ability to see the world with a more critical, creative, and thoughtful eye. Being a part of that eye-opening experience—when they realize the depth and complexity of what they can create and achieve—is truly the most gratifying aspect of teaching.

Q: How do you balance innovation with curriculum requirements?

• A (Carol): The best way that I know to keep my accounting classes new and exciting is to bring in real-world applications as often as possible. Since my students are looking to get a job in the accounting field, my goal is to introduce them to as many different workplace scenarios as I can. Some of the real-world applications that I use in my classes include ethics cases, tax research cases, and current events writing assignments, as well as having guest speakers from local businesses/accounting firms.
• A (John): Well, my curriculum is often innovating! As I teach in high-tech fields, new improvements and changes are frequent and have to be included in curriculum to keep students current in their knowledge and skillset.
• A (Heather): I do this by integrating didactic concepts with the hands-on, real-life practice of nursing at the bedside. The curriculum becomes real when students see the application.
• A (Jennifer): I was a K-12 classroom teacher before I was a faculty member here at CNM, and classroom teachers are consummate innovators and change-makers. I'm thinking about how our alternative teacher licensure program followed K-12 schools in our move to teach on Zoom in Fall 2020. Schools across the country - the world - were finding ways to engage, to stay connected, and to humanize the teaching and learning experience across technology. That reminds me that innovation does not happen in a vacuum. It requires collaboration, inspiration, flexibility, and tenacity. We educators were never meant to do this work alone, so working with other faculty in my department and across CNM inspires me to bring in new ideas and new strategies to the students I teach every semester.

Q: What’s next for you/your classes?

• A (Jolynne): My primary goal is to enhance student engagement and success by adapting teaching methods to cater to diverse learning styles. I also want to implement more Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the classroom. Creating an environment where all students feel valued, respected, and supported is important. I am genuinely excited about the potential of these new approaches to transform the learning environment and enrich the students’ educational journey.
• A (Carol): The next "big thing" that I want to research is the role of AI in the workplace, specifically for my accounting students. What can I include in my accounting courses to help my students be prepared for the role that AI will play in the accounting world?
• A (Erica): I teach physics and astronomy, which for some learners feels intimidating. I am intentionally increasing the ways in which students can demonstrate what they already know about these topics by creating assignments where they can bring in examples from their lived experiences. I hope this builds their confidence about what they already understand and gives them a foundation to build deeper understanding.
• A (Brian): In a word, quantum. I'm immersed in thinking about how to teach the weird world of quantum mechanics / computing without requiring a prior math/science background in a way that prepares students for high tech jobs in the quantum industry. Additionally, I'm excited about CNM’s focus on advanced manufacturing and working with my STA/MSE/BHT/Ingenuity colleagues to create multiple complementary pathways the advanced manufacturing workforce needs.

Q: What advice would you give to other faculty members?

• A (Robin): Collaboration with fellow faculty is the best way to keep evolving as an instructor, to provide support and guidance to students, and keep teaching fresh and enjoyable.
• A (Erica): I strongly recommend connecting with other instructors who share your teaching philosophy. They don’t need to be in your discipline to be a source of support, helpful ideas, and guidance.
• A (Joylnne): As a part-time instructor, I find it essential to get involved at CNM. I am currently the Part-time representative for the Cooperative for Teaching and Learning (CTL), and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made. I also advise part-time faculty to attend Convocation, Faculty Focus Day, and to participate in CTL Training and the Framework for Quality Education Badge Program. All faculty members should invest in their continuous professional development to not only benefit their professional growth but also enrich the students’ educational experiences.
• A (Jennifer): I'm going to circle back to my deep-seated belief that educators were never meant to do this work alone. I'm in my twenty-sixth year of teaching and I never would have made it this long without collaboration and learning from my colleagues. This includes colleagues in our departments, across CNM, and beyond. And, obviously, we can't do this work without the students we're privileged to work with. Finding ways to connect with students, taking time to listen and to learn about their goals and ambitions, honoring their humanity and being authentic with our own humanness...this helps me to remember that at the heart of teaching is our students.