Aiken Technical College's Educator of the Year recipients are Stacey Nichols, a faculty member; Shannon Hallingquest, a staff member; and Patsy Fields, an administrator.
The college announced its 2017-18 recipients of the S.C. Technical Education Association’s (SCTEA) Educator of the Year awards Wednesday.
The awards recognize employees throughout the S.C. Technical College System who have contributed to furthering the mission of the system and have done outstanding work in their roles at their individual colleges. Each college within the system recognizes employees in three categories, faculty, staff and administrator.
Nichols, who is chairman of the Communications Department, is on the New Faculty Onboarding committee and chairs the Curriculum and Instruction and Program Review committees.
Before her current position, she was an adjunct instructor and later a full-time English instructor at ATC. She has a Master of Arts degree in English from the University of Vermont and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Mary Baldwin College.
Hallingquest, an ATC graduate, is an administrative assistant in the Nursing Department. She previously has worked in the college’s Training and Business Development Department. She assists with the nursing department’s activities, including the college’s pinning ceremonies, annual American Heart Association campaign and communications with nursing students and applicants.
She has an associate degree in business technology from ATC and a bachelor’s degree from Limestone College.
Fields, also an ATC graduate, is the administrative manager in the Education and Training Division. Her previous roles have included budget clerk and operations manager. She was on the SCTEA executive board from 2004 to 2016 and was the board’s president in 2013.
Fields has an associate of arts degree from ATC, a bachelor’s in business administration from Brenau University and an Associate Public Manager Certificate from the S.C. State Budget and Control Board.
Nichols, Hallingquest and Fields will be recognized along with other Educator of the Year award recipients in February during SCTEA’s annual conference in Myrtle Beach. Each recipient will be presented with a certificate and a $100 cash award.
