BC staff, faculty members honored for excellence in education

Emily Arthur

Maria Cisneros

Brazosport College employees Emily Arthur and Maria Cisneros were recently honored by the college’s students, faculty and staff as representatives for the League for Innovation in Community Colleges 2020-21 John & Suanne Roueche Staff and Faculty Excellence awards.

Cisneros, an Administrative Office Specialist for the Facility Services department, was selected for the John & Suanne Roueche Staff Excellence Award, while Arthur, an Associate Professor of English, was the recipient of the John & Suanne Roueche Teaching Excellence Award. As the 2020 teaching excellence recipient, Arthur also becomes BC’s Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award nominee.

Arthur has been employed full time at Brazosport College for nearly 14 years. She has an M.A. in Literature with an emphasis in Pedagogical Studies from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She is currently pursuing a 12-hour graduate certificate in teaching technical and business writing from University of North Texas.

“It’s an honor to be selected for this award,” Arthur said. “I’m incredibly grateful to work in my home community alongside colleagues who support, inspire and encourage me throughout the week. When you teach, you’re always shifting and morphing — you try to adapt, attempt to keep pace with your students, hope you can stay relevant and gentle.

“It is simultaneously daunting, yet meaningful, work,” she added. “I’m blessed to work in a student-focused community, united by our passion for helping students achieve their goals.” 

As for Cisneros, she has been employed at Brazosport College for 23 years, including 20 years as an enrollment specialist in the Office of Admissions and Registrar office before transitioning to the Facility Services department.

“The best part about working at BC is the people, and it’s been a pleasure assisting the faculty, staff and students at Brazosport College for so many years,” Cisneros said. “It’s really a family and I have met some of my best friends while working here. All three of my daughters graduated from BC and my oldest daughter, Melissa, works in the counseling department. Brazosport College has truly been wonderful to me and my family.

“It is the greatest honor to have been chosen for a staff excellence award,” she added. “I was genuinely surprised. I work hard to ensure that BC runs smoothly, and I am forever grateful to work at such a wonderful institution.”

The John & Suanne Roueche Faculty and Staff Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding contributions and leadership by community college staff and faculty. Each academic year, member colleges are invited to select and submit names of individuals to be recognized as recipients of these prestigious awards.

For more information about the League for Innovation in Community Colleges John & Suanne Roueche Faculty and Staff Excellence Awards, visit its Web site at www.league.org. To learn more about Brazosport College, go online to www.brazosport.edu or call (979) 230-3000.