Madison College: Receives two national ACCT awards CEO and Faculty of the Year honors given to Barhorst, Kerby

Contact: Bill Bessette Media Relations

(608) 246-6127

(MADISON) Oct. 16, 2012–Madison College President Bettsey Barhorst was honored with the national Chief Executive of the Year Award, and instructor Holly Walter Kerby received the Faculty of the Year Award, at the Association of Community College Trustees’ annual conference in Boston.

Dr. Barhorst was one of five finalists for the award, which recognizes the tremendous services of and contributions made by community college chief executive officers.

“President Barhorst’s lifelong passion for education, her visionary leadership, and her unflagging commitment to making decisions that place the interests of students first qualify her to receive this prestigious honor,” says Madison College Board Chair Frances Huntley-Cooper. Her steady focus and can-do spirit, Huntley-Cooper says, led to the passage of a $134 million building referendum in the midst of the nation’s greatest recession. Passed in 2010, the referendum is the largest in Wisconsin history.

Barhorst, a 40-year veteran of higher education, has served as president at Madison College since November 2004.

Madison College chemistry instructor Holly Walter Kerby is the creator and director of Fusion Science Theater, an imaginative and interactive outreach program that trains educators to use storytelling and theater to teach students of all ages about science. Community colleges are uniquely positioned, she says, to make connections across areas of study that result in a rich learning environment.

Kerby has served as a full-time instructor at Madison College since August 1990. ###

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Barhorst’s complete biography is available at http://madisoncollege.edu/files/users/ehustad/BarhorstBio.pdf. For more information about ACCT visit http://www.acct.org/.