The Virginia Master Teachers SeminarJuly 13 - 17, 1997Sponsored by Hosted by Dr. W. Terry Whisnant, Director |
The Virginia Master Teachers Seminar is held each summer on the campus of Hampden-Sydney College and is sponsored by Southside Virginia Community College. Teachers from all types of higher learning institutions across the nation and from a variety of academic disciplines attend the event. The sole aim of the seminar is a practical exploration of ways to improve teaching. The focus of discussion and activities for the entire week is innovation and excellence in classroom teaching.
The program is directed by Dr. W. Terry Whisnant and was co-founded with Dr. John Cavan, President of Southside Virginia Community College. The Virginia Master Teachers Seminar is based on a model originated in 1962 by Roger Garrison at Westbrook College in Portland, Maine. Since 1962, the concept has enlarged to include programs in over twenty-seven states and in several countries. Dr. Whisnant has been associated with the national program in Massachusetts, the international program in Canada, and is also director of Indiana’s Ivy Tech Academy of Instructional Excellence.
The 1996 Seminar assembled twenty-seven participants representing five states, sixteen community colleges, several dual-enrollment faculty, and faculty from thirteen different teaching disciplines. Diversity is a central theme of the seminar and teachers from varied backgrounds and experiences are recruited. Of course, the common thread found in master teaching is a dedication to the art and craft of classroom teaching.
Scholarships for the program are offered by individual colleges, regional staff development programs, and by the Virginia Community Colleges Association. The VCCA sponsors two scholarships to the Virginia Master Teachers Seminar in the name of Dr. Johnnie E. Merritt, the beloved past president of Central Virginia Community College.
For additional information about The 1997 Virginia Master Teachers Seminar, contact Dr. Terry Whisnant at Southside Virginia Community College (804 949-1083) or via e-mail (svwhist@svccchr1.sv.cc.va.us).