STCC history professor honored for teaching excellence

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Springfield Technical Community College Professor John Diffley enjoys receiving feedback from his class but was particularly moved one day when he read a blog post by one of his students.

He described the student’s comments as “one of the kindest things educators can ever dream of hearing.”

“I remember my first meeting with Professor John Diffley,” his student Kimberly Quinonez wrote. “During this time I was nervous and kind of on the fence about my abilities to be successful while in the Honors Program. As professor Diffley was explaining information about how the program works, my inner spirit became alive with excitement. I felt as though something had been awoken in me. That feeling was the professor’s words of encouragement giving me a desire to be all that I could be while I am in college.”

In recognition of his teaching excellence, STCC recently named Diffley as the 2022 Joseph J. Deliso Endowed Chair.

Each year, an STCC faculty is nominated as the Deliso Endowed chair by their colleagues and then invited to apply. Applications are reviewed by an award selection committee, including faculty and staff, which makes recommendations. The STCC Foundation Executive Committee determines the recipient(s).

The award includes a $3,000 grant, half of which is applied to professional development for the recipient and half of which is given to the recipient's academic department.

STCC President John B. Cook congratulated Diffley, saying the award is a way to “recognize significant accomplishment and excellence in teaching.”

Richard Greco, dean of the School of Liberal and Professional Studies, called the award a “well-deserved recognition.”

John really is a passionate educator both in and out of the classroom. Richard Greco, Dean, School of Liberal and Professional Studies

“John really is a passionate educator both in and out of the classroom,” Greco said. “John demonstrates teaching excellence in all that he does and serves as a role model for many of our faculty by building courses that embrace culturally relevant teaching philosophy.”

Diffley, a professor of history at STCC who lives in Wilbraham, started teaching at the college in 2008 and became full time in 2012. He serves as the program coordinator for Liberal Arts/General Studies and is the Commonwealth Honors Program Coordinator.

Describing his teaching philosophy, Diffley said he not only teaches the course’s subject matter but helps students develop skills they can use in other classes, their everyday lives and their future careers.

“While I certainly want my students to learn the course material, I believe it is even more important that they develop and gain confidence in their own skills and abilities,” Diffley said. “My aim therefore is to provide a space where students feel comfortable, encouraged, and supported to develop their critical thinking abilities by exploring their own assumptions, engaging with new ideas, developing their own views, and discussing those ideas with others.”

STCC, a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution where about 30 percent of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, values diversity.

Diffley said he strives to make sure his teaching is inclusive and culturally relevant by giving voice to groups, perspectives and experiences that are often marginalized or completely left out of traditional and popular historical narratives.

Diffley serves as an academic advisor to students and sits on a number of STCC committees with faculty and staff to advocate for students.

“Directly working with students in the classroom is certainly an important aspect of my work as a professor.  Yet … my service to the college and the community is equally important and essential,” he said.

Diffley earned a Juris Doctor from the Western New England University School of Law. He received a Master of Arts in History from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a Bachelor of Arts in history from State University of New York at New Paltz.

Established in 1993 by the family of industrialist Joseph J. Deliso Sr., The Deliso Endowed Chair is awarded annually by the STCC Foundation in recognition of excellence in teaching. Deliso was an STCC co-founder who served as the first chairman of the STCC Advisory Board, from 1967 to 1981. He later became the first chairman of the STCC board of trustees and served through 1985.

Interested in applying to STCC? Visit stcc.edu/apply or call Admissions at (413) 755-3333.

About Springfield Technical Community College

STCC, the Commonwealth's only technical community college, continues the pioneering legacy of the Springfield Armory with comprehensive and technical education in manufacturing, STEM, healthcare, business, social services, and the liberal arts. STCC's highly regarded workforce, certificate, degree, and transfer programs are the most affordable in Springfield and provide unequaled opportunity for the vitality of Western Massachusetts. Founded in 1967, the college – a designated Hispanic Serving Institution – seeks to close achievement gaps among students who traditionally face societal barriers. STCC supports students as they transform their lives through intellectual, cultural, and economic engagement while becoming thoughtful, committed and socially responsible graduates.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jim Danko, (413) 755-4812, jdanko@stcc.edu

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