Alamance Community College has announced the recipients of its 2024 Excellence in Teaching Awards.

 

2024 Faculty Member of the Year Recipient: DR. ROGER LANE, Music Educator

Dr. Roger Lane began teaching at Alamance Community College as an adjunct while working on his Ph.D. at UNC-Greensboro. At first ACC had only one music appreciation class, but over time Lane persuaded the administration to add additional music classes. In 2018, Lane was instrumental in establishing a longtime dream at ACC: a Fine Arts-Music curriculum program that offers an Associate in Fine Arts degree. During Dr. Lane’s tenure, the college’s music classes have grown to include Music Theory, Aural Skills, Applied Music, Classical Music, Show Choir, and Introduction to Jazz.

 

Students who take Lane’s classes get to experience, through sound and visual aids, the evolution of music, how it talks to people, and why modern rap and rock owe much to the classics, folk tunes, and American jazz.

 

“I’m fortunate that I see a reason for music here at ACC and in society,” said Lane. “People in music appreciation class are shocked to learn how important music is in everything we do. It’s a pleasure to be able to teach what you love.”

 

Lane does not hesitate to tell his students how they are progressing. His critiques are always good-natured, and usually spiced with an endearing smile. Said one student: “He always helps us do our best in his class. Everyday he has a bright attitude, without fail.”

 

“I have a good relationship with my students,” said Lane. “We talk back and forth the way we do because we’re all so in love with music. Music is so all-inclusive.”

 

Dr. Lane has two degrees in Theory and Composition: a Bachelor of Arts from Greensboro College and a Master’s in Arts from UNC-Greensboro. He earned his Ph.D. from UNC-Greensboro in Piano Performance, Statistical Analysis and Music Theory.

 

2024 Adjunct Instructor of the Year Recipient: PATRICIA DOLAN, Mathematics Instructor

Patricia Dolan is an experienced teacher who has taught for more than 20 years as a math instructor at Word of Faith Christian School, instructing high school students in a variety of courses that include geometry, algebra, and calculus.

 

As a resident of Rutherfordton, NC, she has taught online math classes including Quantitative Literary and Statistical Methods at Alamance Community College since the fall semester of 2021. In addition to ACC, she has taught online courses as an adjunct at Isothermal Community College and Liberty University.

 

As a child, Dolan loved math and always wanted to be a math teacher. But she knows that, for many people, math has a stigma associated with it. It is her belief that many teachers, who may have struggled with math themselves, unknowingly transmit their dread of math to their students, especially at the elementary school level. Dolan believes that math concepts appear difficult to students simply because they do not understand the concepts, or that they lack the foundation necessary to make the connection.

 

“I believe every student has the ability to learn if they are taught with patience and compassion, and if they are willing to put forth the effort,” said Dolan. “Teaching online, I realize how important it is to maintain good communication with my students, and I strive to answer student emails as quickly as possible. I strive to adapt the way I teach to reach my students.”

 

Said one ACC math student: “She [Mrs. Dolan] helped me understand math, and finally pass after failing over four times.”

 

Dolan has a Masters of Arts: Mathematics Education from Appalachian State University.

2024 Workforce Development Instructor of the Year: WILLIAM “BILLY” ALLISON, Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) instructor

 

Billy Allison has been a lead instructor since 2018 for the Field Training Officer course and in the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program. Recognized for finding different ways to improve both the BLET program and In-Service training classes that ACC offers, Allison has been instrumental in developing cadets and officers through rigorous and skilled training. He has been committed to making ACC’s curriculum the premiere Basic Law Enforcement Training program in the state. Allison brings new ideas to the attention of not only community members the program serves, but also his co-workers and local agency members with whom he interacts on a regular basis.

 

A dedicated educator, Allison also blocks time in the curriculum to advocate for mental health, providing a wealth of resources and knowledge for this crucial aspect of the work the BLET program promotes for its students. 

 

A graduate of the Administrative Officers Management Program (AOMP) at N.C. State University, Allison received his Associate in Applied Science in Criminal Justice Technology at Alamance Community College. He subsequently also earned a Bachelor of Arts from Guilford College and began his law enforcement career with the Reidsville Police Department in 1991. Allison then joined the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, serving in various capacities including teaching Specialized Defensive Tactics and Officer Survival in the Basic Academy. He also worked in the Special Operations Section of the Highway Patrol on the Criminal Interdiction Unit and served as a K-9 handler. He retired from the Highway Patrol with 30 years of service at the rank of Sergeant before beginning his teaching tenure at ACC.

Lane, Dolan, and Allison will formally be honored at the college’s Celebrating Excellence Awards dinner on May 16.