Blinn College District celebrates its 2023 Teaching Excellence Award winners

Four instructors are recognized for their innovative teaching skills and dedication to student success

August 18, 2023

The Blinn College District recently recognized the exceptional accomplishments of its 2023 Teaching Excellence Award winners. These four outstanding instructors have demonstrated a commitment to fostering innovative learning environments, a passion for knowledge, and a relentless dedication to the success of their students.

The recipients of this esteemed award are:

David Perez, English Instructor

Erin Hill, English Professor

Lisa Wiese, Dental Hygiene Program Director

Laurie Rowland, Dental Hygiene Professor

Dr. Mary Hensley, Chancellor of the Blinn College District, presented each honoree with their plaque during the College’s Faculty Convocation this week.

Blinn’s fall semester begins Wednesday, Aug. 23. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu.

David Perez

Perez has been with Blinn since 2019. He holds bachelor’s degrees in political science from the University of Arizona and English and American literature from Mills College. He also holds a doctoral degree in education from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Perez served as faculty advisor for the Sigma Kappa Delta English honors society for the 2021-22 academic year.

“I work to engage students with academic content that pushes their skill set to new heights so they may apply these newly acquired skills throughout their college experience and their professional development,” he said. “I also seek to promote curiosity and drive within my students so that they will push themselves to new levels of academic achievement.”

Erin Hill

Hill has been with Blinn since 2002. She holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in English from Texas A&M University.

In addition to her instructional responsibilities, Hill has served on the English Department Textbook Committee and the Blinn College Faculty Senate and is active in the Texas Community College Teachers Association. She also served on the formation committee and has volunteered for the Blinn Library’s Procrastination: Impossible events and has helped pilot paired co-requisite courses in the English and Parallel Studies departments.

“I want to be the kind of teacher for my Blinn students that I want my son and daughter to have,” Hill said. “Because I want their teachers to care, to go the extra mile in patient explanation, and to hold them to high academic standards, I try to do the same for the young people enrolled in my classes, young people whose own parents share my hopes and worries about their families.

Lisa Wiese

Wiese has been with Blinn since 1997, when she joined the Dental Hygiene Program faculty as an instructor. In 2000, she was named Program Director.

Wiese holds an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene from Coastal Bend College and both a Bachelor of Science in Technical Education and a Master of Science in Educational Human Resource Development from Texas A&M. She is a member of the Brazos Valley Dental Hygienists’ Association, the Texas Dental Hygienists’ Association, and the American Dental Hygienists’ Association.

In addition to her classroom instruction, Wiese supports Blinn’s Student Chapter of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association and oversees Give Kids a Smile, an annual event that provides free dental care for local children. Last year, Blinn’s Give Kids a Smile initiative was named a finalist for the prestigious Bellwether Award and Wiese was invited to San Antonio to present the program to a national audience of community college leaders.

“I cannot think of another profession that I would be as satisfied as I am with teaching,” Wiese said. “I truly am fulfilled by the end result of the student being successful and getting licensure and gaining employment. To me, that is a testament to my teaching ability.”

Laurie Rowland

Rowland is a Blinn alumna and has been teaching for the College since 2002. She holds an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene from Blinn and a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies and a Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from Texas A&M.

In addition to her instructional responsibilities, she serves as the Chairperson for the Dental Hygiene Curriculum Committee and has supported the Blinn Student Chapter of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association. She has been published multiple times in dentistry and dental hygiene publications.

“Over the past 21 years teaching dental hygiene, I have taught almost 300 students who have joined the healthcare profession as dental hygienists,” Rowland said. “One wall of my office is dedicated to the notes I have received. It is incredibly rewarding to see the impact these remarkable individuals have had as they serve patients state-wide, nationally, and even internationally through mission work and know that I played a part in preparing them to go out and make a positive impact in the world.”