STLCC Faculty Members to be Honored for Excellence in Teaching

Three St. Louis Community College faculty members have been chosen to receive the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

STLCC’s 2020 recipients are Ellen McCloskey, professor of communications at STLCC-Wildwood; Gary Forde, associate professor of psychology at Forest Park; and Steve Ehlen, supervisor of the Engineering Technology Center and adjunct instructor at Florissant Valley.

Each year, institutions across the state select one faculty member who exemplifies effective teaching, effective advising, service to the university community, commitment to high standards of excellence and success in nurturing student achievement.

The STLCC faculty members will be recognized during the Missouri Community College Association’s Annual Convention & Solution Center, which shifts to a fully virtual event in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. They will be honored at the morning session on Friday, Nov. 13.

Ellen McCloskey joined STLCC in 1995 after a successful career as an advertising director at a large national food wholesaler. She taught at Florissant Valley until 2011, when she transferred to the Wildwood campus. During her career at STLCC, she has served as a program coordinator and department chair. She has also served on numerous campus and College committees.

“Professor McCloskey is an outstanding educator who cares deeply about her students and is invested in their success,” said S. Carol Lupardus Ph.D., president and chief academic officer at Wildwood. “She is also a trusted colleague who regularly lends her time and talents to advance the mission of the College.”

McCloskey earned a bachelor’s degree in home economics journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a master’s degree in communication from Saint Louis University. She has completed all of the coursework, except for her dissertation, for a doctorate in adult education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

“I love being a part of the STLCC family,” McCloskey said. “Through my role as a professor, I get to help students develop communication skills they can use in the classroom and beyond. I also feel blessed to have made lifelong friends during my career at STLCC. Since joining the faculty at Wildwood, it has been especially fulfilling to support the campus in its efforts to expand educational opportunities for students in west St. Louis County.”

Gary Forde has been a full-time and adjunct instructor at Forest Park for the past 15 years, where he has taught courses in various areas of psychology.

Forde has received numerous teaching awards from the campus student government association as well as the campus’ Honors Committee. Forde also has served on a variety of campus committees, including Sabbatical Leave, Honors, Academic Appeals, Student Disciplinary and Student Grievance.

Forde also has cochaired the African-American History Month Committee several times, and is a member of the Women’s History Month Committee. He also served briefly on the College’s Voice for Diversity and Inclusion Task Force.

Forde is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts-Boston and Washington University in St. Louis. He also attended Saint Louis University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, where he majored in program evaluation studies.

“The award recognizes the excellent teaching and support that St. Louis Community College – Forest Park specifically -- provides to students in the St. Louis area,” Forde said. “It represents the totality of support that students receive from the College in areas such as the Access office, advising, academic support and student success, the library, counseling and Campus Life. All of these areas enhance their success at the College.”

Steve Ehlen has over 40 years of experience in the field of engineering and technology education. He currently serves as the supervisor of the Engineering Technology Center at St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley.

Ehlen supervises the daily activities of the center's computer aided instructional labs and 3D printing lab. Ehlen also is involved with the STLCC Career Coach’s community outreach activities, and is responsible for coordinating various other community outreach activities such as area K-12 robotics competitions and the Florissant Valley student engineering societies.

Ehlen holds two associate degrees from STLCC, and a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology through STLCC’s 2+2 program with Southeast Missouri State University, where he graduated magna cum laude.

Ehlen was named Florissant Valley’s Adjunct Faculty Member of the Year in 1997. He received the NISOD Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Texas at Austin 2006, and the John & Suanne Roueche Excellence Award in 2016. He also was named Florissant Valley’s Professional Employee of the Year in 2018.