College of Southern Maryland (CSM) Associate Professor of Languages and Literature Christopher Ankney, of Annapolis, has been selected for the 2019 Maurice Erly Professional Development Award. Educational Systems Federal Credit Union announced Ankney, who specializes in developmental English at CSM, as the recipient of the award which is made available through the Credit Union’s Support Education Foundation.
CSM nominated Ankney for the award because of his dedication to teaching each student, according to CSM Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Eileen Abel.
This is critical, Abel said, because the sooner students can move through a developmental course successfully, showing they are ready for college-level work, the sooner they can take credit-bearing courses. And the more credits students accumulate sooner in their college career, the more likely they are to complete their degree.
The $1,000 award, provided by the Support Education Foundation which was started by Educational Systems FCU, will go toward Ankney’s attendance at the 44th Annual Conference of the National Organization for Student Success in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2020.
Ankney is in his fourth year at CSM, primarily teaching courses at the college’s Prince Frederick Campus. He has been teaching college-level coursework since 2005.
In addition to classroom instruction, Ankney chairs CSM’s Writing Across the Curriculum Committee. At CSM’s Prince Frederick Campus, he serves on the Social Justice Committee, creating a student panel and separate presentation for the campus’ Social Justice Days event.
He serves as a member of faculty senate committees, including the Global Initiatives Committee, Faculty Handbook Committee and the Academic Standards Committee. He designed and piloted an open educational resource (OER) first-year writing course in Fall 2018 at CSM called “How to Navigate Your Major.” In addition, he piloted, along with the Developmental English Committee and University of Delaware, a four-hour ENG 0900 course using Self-Regulation curriculum.
Chris Conway, president/CEO of Educational Systems FCU, said that helping faculty members with support through the Maurice Erly Professional Development Award and students with scholarships helps fulfill his organization’s core purpose, which is serving the education community.
The Maurice Erly Professional Develoment Award is named after a longtime Prince George’s County educator. Erly retired from the Prince George’s County Board of Education after 38 years of service, with more than 25 of those years spent at the coordinating supervisor of staff development. Erly served on the Board of Directors of Educational Systems FCU for more than 44 years, with 25 of those years as treasurer.
The Support Education Foundation, Inc. was established in 2017 by Educational Systems FCU to help the Credit Union fulfill its core purpose of serving the education community. The mission of the Support Education Foundation is to operate and support charitable giving programs for the benefit of members of the education community. Funds raised through the 501(c)(3) organization are used for programs such as student scholarships, professional development awards and other initiatives to help students achieve in the classroom.
CSM enhances lives and strengthens the economic vitality of a diverse and changing region by providing affordable postsecondary education, workforce development and cultural and personal enrichment opportunities. For more about CSM, visit www.csmd.edu.
For more about Educational Systems FCU, visit www.esfcu.org.
For more about the Support Education Foundation, visit www.SupportEducation.org.
CSM nominated Ankney for the award because of his dedication to teaching each student, according to CSM Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Eileen Abel.
“We are delighted to have him nominated for, and that he received, this award,” Abel said. “Chris embodies our best practice methods at CSM. He has worked to revise our developmental English curriculum to provide students the skills they need to succeed in college-level writing.”
This is critical, Abel said, because the sooner students can move through a developmental course successfully, showing they are ready for college-level work, the sooner they can take credit-bearing courses. And the more credits students accumulate sooner in their college career, the more likely they are to complete their degree.
The $1,000 award, provided by the Support Education Foundation which was started by Educational Systems FCU, will go toward Ankney’s attendance at the 44th Annual Conference of the National Organization for Student Success in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2020.
“The national conference focuses on issues of retention and completion for the most at-risk student populations,” Ankney said. “I hope to attend sessions that focus on best practices for helping community college students overcome external personal challenges such as financial instability, transportation, mental health, job status and more that often create barriers for pursuing a degree… I am excited about how this conference can help me serve CSM’s students and faculty.”
Ankney is in his fourth year at CSM, primarily teaching courses at the college’s Prince Frederick Campus. He has been teaching college-level coursework since 2005.
In addition to classroom instruction, Ankney chairs CSM’s Writing Across the Curriculum Committee. At CSM’s Prince Frederick Campus, he serves on the Social Justice Committee, creating a student panel and separate presentation for the campus’ Social Justice Days event.
He serves as a member of faculty senate committees, including the Global Initiatives Committee, Faculty Handbook Committee and the Academic Standards Committee. He designed and piloted an open educational resource (OER) first-year writing course in Fall 2018 at CSM called “How to Navigate Your Major.” In addition, he piloted, along with the Developmental English Committee and University of Delaware, a four-hour ENG 0900 course using Self-Regulation curriculum.
Chris Conway, president/CEO of Educational Systems FCU, said that helping faculty members with support through the Maurice Erly Professional Development Award and students with scholarships helps fulfill his organization’s core purpose, which is serving the education community.
“For us, it’s an honor to support education by providing resources to help employees and students at the College of Southern Maryland,” Conway said. “Congratulations to Christopher!”
The Maurice Erly Professional Develoment Award is named after a longtime Prince George’s County educator. Erly retired from the Prince George’s County Board of Education after 38 years of service, with more than 25 of those years spent at the coordinating supervisor of staff development. Erly served on the Board of Directors of Educational Systems FCU for more than 44 years, with 25 of those years as treasurer.
The Support Education Foundation, Inc. was established in 2017 by Educational Systems FCU to help the Credit Union fulfill its core purpose of serving the education community. The mission of the Support Education Foundation is to operate and support charitable giving programs for the benefit of members of the education community. Funds raised through the 501(c)(3) organization are used for programs such as student scholarships, professional development awards and other initiatives to help students achieve in the classroom.
CSM enhances lives and strengthens the economic vitality of a diverse and changing region by providing affordable postsecondary education, workforce development and cultural and personal enrichment opportunities. For more about CSM, visit www.csmd.edu.
For more about Educational Systems FCU, visit www.esfcu.org.
For more about the Support Education Foundation, visit www.SupportEducation.org.