STCC names 2 nursing professors as 2023 Endowed Chairs
Donna Mae Jones, seated left, and Donna Woshinsky, seated right, are with, from left, Christopher Thuot, Vice President of Academic Affairs; John B. Cook, President; and Christopher Scott, Dean of the School of Health and Patient Simulation.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Springfield Technical Community College honored two nursing professors with awards that recognize excellence in teaching and a commitment to the college’s mission.
The college selected Donna Mae Jones as the 2023 Joseph J. Delisio Sr. Endowed Chair and Donna Woshinsky as the 2023 Anthony M. Scibelli Endowed Chair. The awards are named for two of the college’s founders.
Each year, STCC faculty are nominated by their colleagues and then invited to apply. An award selection committee, made up of faculty and staff, reviews applications, and the STCC Foundation Executive Committee then selects winners.
Donna Mae Jones, left, and Donna Woshinsky sit in the wooden chairs given to them after being named Endowed Chairs.
Recipients receive a $1,500 monetary award from the STCC Foundation in addition to wooden chairs with plaques inscribed with their names
STCC President John B. Cook said the Endowed Chair awards represent an effort by the STCC Foundation to recognize and encourage faculty excellence and foster a deep connection to businesses and community organizations. Cook congratulated Jones and Woshinsky at a campus event for faculty and staff on Aug. 31.
Christopher Scott, dean of the School of Health and Patient Simulation at STCC, said the professors are committed to the college’s mission to support students as they transform their lives.
“Professor Jones is always looking for new and innovative teaching and learning methodologies,” Scott said. “Professor Jones’ newest academic endeavor was the nursing lab escape room that she designed and implemented for senior nursing students. This was extremely well received by students and faculty.”
Scott said Woshinsky has served on several committees at STCC to ensure student success. She has led patient simulation experiences for students. The SIMS Medical Center at STCC uses patient simulation to bridge the gap between education and clinical practice.
“She is a tireless advocate for our students and goes out of the way to help anyone she can,” Scott said. “As a faculty member, Professor Woshinsky has always been willing to step up and lead.”
I’m proud to work with them and have them as part of the faculty and the team. Their support for our students is amazing and reflects their dedication and commitment to nursing and teaching.Lisa Fugiel, Assistant Dean and Director of Nursing
Lisa Fugiel, assistant dean and director of nursing, said both Woshinsky and Jones have been innovative in their approaches to education.
“I’m proud to work with them and have them as part of the faculty and the team. Their support for our students is amazing and reflects their dedication and commitment to nursing and teaching,” Fugiel said.
Jones, of Belchertown, joined the STCC faculty in 2013.
Donna Mae Jones, left, Lisa Fugiel and Donna Woshinsky, right.
“I am honored and thrilled to receive the prestigious endowed chair award and have my name linked with excellence in teaching, quality education and the STCC name,” Jones said. “I would like to thank all my colleagues who have been totally supportive since I started teaching. I stand on the shoulders of many before me.”
Jones graduated from the Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Worcester. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Worcester State University and her Master’s in Nursing Education from Walden University. Jones left the clinical field of nursing in 2010 and began teaching in an accelerated L.P.N. Program before coming to STCC.
Woshinsky of Windsor, Conn., has been a faculty member at STCC since 2003.
“This award recognizes teaching excellence, and service to the college and community, and I am humbled to be recognized as an excellent teacher by the person who nominated me and the members of the Endowed Chair committee,” she said. “I am particularly proud of my volunteer service. For more than 10 years, I have organized nursing students' donation of a Christmas tree to the annual Boys & Girls Club of Springfield’s Festival of Trees.”
She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Connecticut and her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Hartford. She has been a nurse for 45 years.
The college established the Anthony M. Scibelli, Sr. Endowed Chair in 1992 to recognize and foster faculty excellence. As a member of the state House of Representatives, Scibelli sponsored and pushed through legislation approving funding and authorizing the transfer of 35 acres of Springfield Armory to the state, as a location for STCC.
In 1993, the Deliso family established the Joseph J. Deliso Sr. Endowed Chair at STCC in recognition of excellence in teaching. Appointed as the first chairman of the STCC Advisory Board, Deliso, an industrialist, served from 1967 to 1981. He then became first chairman of the STCC Board of Trustees, serving 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