News

August 16, 2007
Monika Fleming Named First Keihin Chair Holder

Monika Fleming (seated) is the first recipient of the Keihin Endowed Faculty Chair. Shown with her are (standing from left) ECC President Dr. Deborah Lamm; Tim Freeman, KCST senior manager of administration; and Connie Hunt, KCST HR director. Both Freeman and Hunt served on the selection committee.

All eyes were on Monika Fleming yesterday as she became the first recipient of the Keihin Endowed Faculty Chair. The chair was endowed by Keihin Carolina System Technology through a $100,000 gift in May 2007, and it rewards excellence in teaching.

Fleming received $2,500 and a chair with an engraved brass nameplate. A second chair will be placed in the library.

Upon the announcement, Fleming received a standing ovation from the packed house in Mobley Atrium, which was filled with ECC employees, trustees, foundation board members, and other special guests.

“I would like to thank Keihin and the foundation for this honor,” she said. “I also appreciate all the heartfelt wishes and comments by my many colleagues. ECC is truly a great place to work, and I am most fortunate to be in the midst of such excellent faculty and staff. I’m proud to call ECC home.”

Fleming, chair and instructor of English/humanities and college transfer coordinator, has been at ECC for 26 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism, a master’s degree in English, and a master’s degree in history, all from East Carolina University.

“The Keihin Endowed Faculty Chair is the highest distinction the college can bestow upon a member of its faculty,” said ECC President Dr. Deborah Lamm. “No instructor is more deserving of this honor than Ms. Fleming. For 26 years, she has brought creativity and innovation to her classroom, teaching and inspiring her students to become lifelong learners.”

In announcing the selection, Karen Andrus, executive director of the ECC Foundation, read several comments from students: “She makes me want to learn.” “She is the kind of teacher that even if I were to fail, I would take [the course] again!” “She has caused me to become keenly aware of the importance of preserving our past to inspire hope for future generations.”

Fleming was selected by a committee of ECC administrators, faculty, and staff and KCST officials from a pool of nine nominees who submitted a performance portfolio, a philosophy of teaching, and an essay. Other nominees were Kim Bell, Sarah d’Empaire, Johnica Ellis-Kiser, Wes Hill, Tom Killoran, J.H. Koonce, Bruce Panneton, and Cathy Stephenson.

The only other community colleges in the state that have endowed chairs are Central Piedmont Community College and Guilford Technical Community College.

With an endowed chair, the principal is not spent but is invested, and the earnings from the investment are distributed to the recipient.

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