Rhonda Besel marked her 25th anniversary as a member of the Riverland Community College teaching staff by earning the prestigious 2018 Minnesota State Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Teaching Award on April 18.

“It was very humbling to be recognized on the state level,” said Besel, who is the program director and instructor at RCC’s cosmetology program. “It was quite an honor to be chosen.”

She was one of six to be chosen for the award that recognizes professional achievement and encourages ongoing pursuit of excellence. She was chosen for the local equivalent of the award and then was required to submit a portfolio. Hers and five others were chosen from 34 entries, she said.

In his announcement of the honor, RCC President Dr. Adenuga Atewologun said:

“Ms. Besel consistently demonstrates excellence in teaching, learning, and scholarship. Her commitment to student learning is exceptional; she creates a positive and open environment in and out of the classroom; and continuously researches, experiments, and develops best practices to engage students.

“Notably, Ms. Besel has reduced barriers to deep learning, closed achievement gaps, and created innovative solutions for students to succeed.”

“Innovative” is certainly the case with Besel, who has worked to improve the instructional environment at the college. A recent remodeling project freshened and updated needs in the cosmetology lab that helps a current load of 30 students learn the skills they need in the workforce.

The program is run as a business, she said, and supports itself through services provided to the public, such as hair styling and other salon services.

But the salon has also been used to help provide for students who have far fewer options. For four years, students at the Federal Correctional Institution at Waseca have also been learning the cosmetology trade, she said. After three years of study and planning, the RCC program entered into a contract with the FCI to provide the female inmates with cosmetology training. Two instructors work with 16 inmates right now, she said, at the FCI. Her work in initiating the program is one of her proudest achievements, she said.

“Just be able to be a facilitator for students for as long as I have .. to help students find their way and grow; that’s great.

But working with the prison program, “even with no guarantee it would go forward, has been very fulfilling,” she said.

Besel and her husband, Paul, who is superintendent of schools in Grand Meadow, are the parents to two children, both teachers. Tucker, 26, is a chemistry and physics instructor at Worthington schools, while daughter Mckenzie is finishing her student teaching in Blooming Prairie. All were on hand when she received her award.

“Outstanding educators and administrative and service faculty make it possible for us to provide an extraordinary education for all Minnesotans,” said Michael Vekich, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “The programs our faculty deliver – academic programs, advising, financial aid, registration, residential life, and student affairs, just to name a few – are vital to our ability to serve students and communities in every corner of the state.”

“This year’s award recipients are helping Minnesota State build a vibrant, robust, new landscape of learning,” said Devinder Malhotra, Chancellor of Minnesota State. “And, importantly, they are not the only winners today. Our students win because of the work they do, whether inside or outside the classroom. Their colleagues win because of the new and transformative approaches they model. And their campuses win because the award recipients are the women and men who drive our collective ability to make good on our compact with the people of Minnesota.”