Stephanie Jorandby (left) reacts as one of her students, Allison Westerdale (right), presented her with the Learning and Teaching Center's Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Technology Award, and Shandy Beck, a multimedia and instructional design specialist in the LTC, looks on. (Photo by Mark Hornickel/Northwest Missouri State University)

Dec. 7, 2018

LTC recognizes Jorandby with award for excellence

Staff members representing Northwest Missouri State University’s Learning and Teaching Center (LTC) surprised Assistant Professor of Theatre Stephanie Jorandby when they arrived Tuesday afternoon, unannounced, at the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts and presented her with the center’s Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Technology Award.

Jorandby had just begun to teach her 1 p.m. section of Theatre Appreciation when LTC staff members, joined by Allison Westerdale, a freshman speech and theatre education major who nominated Jorandby for the award, interrupted her on the stage of the Mary Linn Auditorium. Provost Dr. Jamie Hooyman; Dr. Greg Haddock, associate provost of graduate studies and special programs; Dr. Jay Johnson, associate provost of academic operations and development; and Dr. Katy Strickland, the chair of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, also were present.

Jorandby is the fourth Northwest faculty member to receive the award, which the LTC launched in 2016 to recognize outstanding educators at the University.

The LTC partners each semester with Student Senate to solicit nominations from students through Northwest Online. Students are encouraged to nominate faculty with a few sentences supporting their nomination, and the nominees are then presented to students for an online vote to select the award recipient.

The LTC received nominations commending 55 unique faculty this fall.

Westerdale, of Papillion, Nebraska, has Jorandby as an instructor for a stage makeup course and a costume shop lab this fall.

“Stephi is one of those professors that knows exactly what she's talking about,” Westerdale said. “She’s able to connect to her students better than most professors, and she treats us like equals rather than subordinates. In her class, I learn a lot while having a genuinely good time.”

Jorandby joined the Northwest faculty in 2014 and teaches costume design, costume technology, stage makeup, introduction to design, stage management and fundamentals of oral communication. She has a Master of Fine Arts degree in theatre design and costume from Southern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Arts in art and theatre from Wisconsin Lutheran College.