Andy Clark Named Moultrie Tech's Instructor of the Year
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Andy Clark, electronics technology instructor at Moultrie Technical College, was chosen by his peers as the 2006 Instructor of the Year and will represent the college on a regional and state level in the Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction competition. |
MOULTRIE , GA. Moultrie Technical College (MTC) electronics technology instructor Andy Clark of Moultrie was recently selected by his peers at MTC as the school’s nominee for the state Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction. Clark teaches at the college’s Veterans Parkway campus in Moultrie.
Clark says, “I am honored to be chosen as the Rick Perkins Award nominee and to enjoy the chance to represent Moultrie Technical College in the upcoming competition. I was surprised and humbled by the announcement of my nomination by my colleagues at Moultrie Tech. I hope the confidence and trust placed in me are indicative of things yet to come in competing in such a strong field.”
Named in memory of Thomas “Rick” Perkins, an instructor at West Central Technical College, who received the DTAE Commissioner’s Award of Excellence prior to his untimely death, the award is the state technical college system’s version of an “instructor of the year” honor. It is presented to the person who has shown the most dedication to the job, commitment to students and skill in the classroom.
Annually, all 34 technical colleges, plus the four Regents system schools with technical divisions, nominate an instructor to represent their colleges for the statewide honor.
Nominees then compete on a regional basis. Clark will compete with representatives from Albany, East Central, South Georgia, Southwest Georgia and Valdosta Technical Colleges for the Southwest Georgia consortia title on Thursday, August 10. The event will be hosted by MTC this year. Winners from each technical college consortia will go on to compete for the state honor in September.
The state Rick Perkins Award winner serves as an ambassador for technical education in Georgia. He or she will make many public appearances throughout the year including addresses to the Georgia General Assembly, the Governor, and the Georgia Technical College System Leadership Conference in November.
Clark, a 1989 graduate of the MTC electronics program he now instructs, also holds a degree from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. His resume primarily reads of experience in computer technology and electrical engineering prior to entering the field of education.
“First of all, I am a firm believer in technical education as I am a product of this technical college system of Georgia. Moultrie Tech is where I learned more than technical abilities; I learned that any career requires ethics and a continuing need to upgrade. While I was a student at Moultrie Tech, my instructors continually re-enforced work ethics and critical thinking within me. I believe I certainly have picked up the torch to help my students become not only the best trained electronics technicians but also assets to their future employers and to their communities,” says Clark.
He began his career in education at Thomas Technical Institute, now known as Southwest Georgia Tech in Thomasville, as an information technology support specialist. In 1998 he was hired as a computer information systems instructor at Moultrie Tech. Upon the retirement of long-time instructor Melvin Mills in 2004, Clark took the reins as MTC’s electronics technology instructor.
Among his accomplishments, he has served as the dual-enrollment facilitator for the Colquitt County Communities in Schools organization for six years and as the SkillsUSA advisor for MTC students from 2001-2006. Clark is also a coach for the Georgia 4-H shooting sports competition since 2002.
He holds certification as a Microsoft Systems Engineer and is a member of both the IEEE Computer Society and the Electronics Technicians Association International.
