From left, Dr. Victoria Bryan, Distinguished Faculty Award recipient; Dr. Bill Seymour, CSCC president; Haley Hodgson, Distinguished Graduate Award recipient; and Dr. Robert Brandon, Distinguished Staff Award recipient
Three individuals were recognized for their dedication and hard work at Cleveland State Community College’s spring Commencement Ceremony. Haley Hodgson was selected as the 2017 Distinguished Graduate. Dr. Robert Brandon was selected as the Distinguished Staff Member and Dr. Victoria Bryan was selected as the Distinguished Faculty Member.
The Distinguished Graduate award is given each year to the graduating student who, in the opinion of the college faculty and staff, has contributed the most to the advancement and betterment of the college.
Ms. Hodgson first enrolled at CSCC as a dual enrollment student, earning 15 hours of college credit prior to graduating from Cleveland High School. She was actively involved in the college and the community having served as a member of Phi Theta Kappa, a member of the Women’s Softball team for two years where she was a starting pitcher, a volunteer at ARK of Cleveland, a member of the CSCC Student Ambassadors, working with new student orientation and recruiting programs, and a volunteer for the day of change at the Ronald McDonald House. She served as the president of the Student Senate and was the first student named to the College President’s Cabinet. As Student Senate president, she represented the college on the Tennessee Board of Regents’ Student Presidents Council. This past year, she participated in the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature as a member of Cleveland State’s delegation, serving as a member of the State Senate. She was also a contestant in the 2017 Miss Tennessee USA pageant. An elementary education major, she maintained a 3.92 GPA, earning only one B during her time at CSCC. She intends to complete her Bachelor’s degree at East Tennessee State University.
Other students nominated for this award include Abigail Firestone, Brianna Riley, Brittany Vanderveen, Hanna Scott and Haven Wright.
The Distinguished Staff award is presented each year to an individual who has performed meritorious service to Cleveland State—above and beyond the expectations of the job. This award is open to any CSCC employee other than those classified as Executive, Administrator or Faculty.
Hired by the college in 2014, Dr. Brandon has always had an open door policy to help students, faculty and staff. According to his nomination form from a co-worker, “Dr. Brandon is always willing to accept responsibilities and new tasks including serving as the interim library director, website design and Early College. He is willing to teach classes when needed and always maintains a calm, caring attitude in very trying or demanding situations. He has excelled in guiding groups with different points of view toward a given project to find common ground. His skill in team-based project management has supported developments both within the division and for the college, including implementation of First Year Studies, development of Early College Pathways and revision of tutoring services. When the Law Enforcement Training program was added to his responsibilities, he embraced the opportunity to learn more about workforce development programs and initiated partnerships with local law enforcement agencies that have resulted in successful cohorts moving through the program. He has also worked closely with faculty and advisors to develop a pipeline of students for the AS in Criminal Justice.”
In addition to actively serving on the college campus, he is also heavily involved in the community participating in the Kiwanis Club, United Way, Chamber events, Allied arts and Junior Achievement.
Other staff members nominated for this award include Alyssa Douglass, Bre LaMountain, Katie Willingham, Kimberly Harrington and Andy Foskey.
The Distinguished Faculty Award is given each year to a member of the Cleveland State faculty in recognition of meritorious service to the college and community.
According to her nomination form, Dr. Victoria Bryan has made a profound impact on the college and has been instrumental in introducing many innovative and impactful new initiatives. Over the past year and a half, she has managed Cleveland State’s Honor’s program. During this time, she led the Honors Committee on a redesign effort that reenergized the program and transformed it into a thriving and vital part of CSCC’s success. As a part of her job as Honors coordinator, she is also responsible for mentoring the honors students. She is very intentional in making sure that she has a close relationship with each one and needed support throughout the student experience and is quick to intervene if she sees someone who needs extra support or motivations. Both her students and her peers have recognized her exemplary service having been awarded a Cleveland State STAR Award by the Faculty Senate and the Favorite Instructor award by the Student Senate. In addition to her excellence in advising, her exceptional teaching and her scholarly work, she has also been a true champion for public service in our community. Her most impactful project has been the “Turn the Page Book Club” that she created in 2014 and that currently operates in the Bradley County Jail. Her work with this program has positively impacted the lives of both the inmates that it serves as well as CSCC students whom she has engaged with the project.
Bob Uhl was also nominated for the Distinguished Faculty Award.