Wytheville Community College (WCC) recently awarded the WCC Distinguished Service Award and the WCC Distinguished Teaching Award.
Cynthia Jackson and Frank Pugh received the WCC Distinguished Service Award.
Jackson received her award during the spring concert of the WCC Choir that recently was held in Hillsville. The honor was also announced at the WCC Choir concert in Wytheville. The Wytheville Community College Choir was established in 2013 under the direction of Jackson. Since she has been director, the choir has not only brought positive local attention to the choir but also to Wytheville Community College. In addition to being recognized locally, the choir has performed at the national level. On three separate occasions, the choir has been invited to perform in New York. Their first performance was at the Lincoln Center in 2015, the second was at Carnegie Hall in 2017, and the third was at Carnegie Hall in 2019.
In recognizing Jackson for the award, Bill Dixon, retired WCC Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services, wrote: “Cynthia’s love of music, her ability, and her energy have all contributed to the choir’s high standard of performance.”
As Dixon noted, the criteria for the Distinguished Service Award indicates that the recipient should have “given the college exceptional service, other than teaching, in a manner that is beyond the normal expectations and above specific monetary compensation. This award is intended to recognize outstanding individuals who have given to the enduring life of the college in unique and exemplary ways.” In the nomination, Dixon said, “Cynthia meets all of the criteria. She is a credit to her community and WCC.”
Jackson is a native of Carroll County and a graduate of Carroll County High School. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Emory and Henry College and a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Radford University.
WCC Concert Band Director Frank Pugh also received a WCC Distinguished Service Award during the spring performance of the WCC Concert Band held recently in Wytheville.
Pugh has been an active member of the WCC Concert Band for many years and became Band Director in 2013. “Frank is an accomplished musician, as well a talented composer. In fact, he wrote one of the pieces that the Band performed at the holiday concert last December, as well as a second piece that is part of the spring and summer concerts,” Dr. Dean Sprinkle, WCC President, said when presenting the award to Pugh.
“Under his leadership as band director, the WCC Concert Band has expanded its membership and now includes 55 members. Many of these members travel long distances to participate.”
In nominating Pugh for the award, Vicki Delp, WCC Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Research and Planning, wrote: “Frank is a wonderful ambassador for WCC! Through his community involvement as a musician in various groups in the area, he promotes the WCC Concert Band and encourages youth and adults to join.”
A native of Wythe County and a graduate of George Wythe High School, Pugh holds degrees in Music Education and Music Performance from Elon University. He has been a faculty member of Wythe County Public Schools since 1996, and is the current band director at Fort Chiswell High School.
Cindy Kincer, Assistant Professor of Biology, received the 2023 Distinguished Teaching Award during the end-of-semester WCC Faculty/Staff In-Service Professional Development Program on May 9.
Kincer is a WCC alumnae, graduating with an Associate’s Degree in Science in 1980. She later earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Mars Hill College in 1982 and then a Master’s Degree in Biology from East Tennessee State University in 1989.
“Teaching is truly her passion,” Sprinkle said before presenting the award to Kincer. “She is committed to incorporating technology in the classroom to enhance student learning, including the use of the Anatomage table (an advanced anatomy visualization system). She has played a key role in helping revise courses in her discipline to meet the standards set forth by the Transfer Virginia initiative. This has recently included work to create an open-source course to help prepare students for Anatomy and Physiology. Even though she does not generally teach Anatomy, she has worked tirelessly to design the courses, identify resources, and develop the online Canvas course. She is committed to helping students succeed and makes learning fun through her keen sense of humor.”
The WCC Distinguished Service Award and the WCC Distinguished Teaching Award were established by Nathaniel W. Pendleton, Jr. in memory of his father, Nathaniel Willis Pendleton, Sr., to recognize and encourage excellence in teaching and service at WCC. Nathaniel Willis Pendleton was Wythe County’s representative in the Virginia House of Delegates, who, together with State Senator D. Woodrow Bird, introduced the necessary enabling bills in the 1962 General Assembly to establish WCC and appropriate its operating funds.
Photos:
Cynthia Jackson, WCC Choir Director, and Dean Sprinkle, WCC President
Frank Pugh, WCC Concert Band Director, and Dean Sprinkle, WCC President
Cindy Kincer, WCC Assistant Professor of Biology, and Dean Sprinkle, WCC President