EVELYN SPERRY, Faculty Secretary
Evelyn greets incoming students, assists with paperwork for tutoring and note taking, handles student payroll and supports the rest of the staff. Evelyn has been at the Colleges for over twenty years. She started out in the Education Department as a Faculty Secretary, then joined the Science Department. From 1989-2005, Evelyn was in the Office of the Registrar greeting students, preparing their ID’s and sending out transcripts. She joined the CTL staff in January of 2006.
PAM LAMBERT, American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter
Pam provides interpreting services as well as coordinating additional interpreting services as needed to provide equal access for Deaf individuals that use interpreting services. In addition, she recently began offering ASL workshops geared toward learning basic ASL communication, awareness of Deaf Culture, and sharing her knowledge about how to work with a professional interpreter. She received her degree in ASL Interpreting from NTID at RIT in 2004 and has interpreted in the community and a variety of post secondary campuses. Pam began learning ASL as a child and has a life-long passion to work within the Deaf community and learn their language.
SUSAN K. HESS, Writing Specialist
Susan is one of the CTL writing specialists, jointly appointed to CTL and the Writing and Rhetoric department, along with her colleague, Gary Matassarin. Susan and Gary oversee the many and growing writing activities of the Center, including outreach to the Colleges’ faculty and staff (helping them plan and meet their writing and writing teaching needs), coordination with Writing and Rhetoric to enhance writing education and exchange on campus, and organizing the Center’s writing support for students.
Susan’s areas of specialty include support for First-Year Seminars (curriculum design for writing and research/writing components, workshops, problem-solving materials); Subject- and discipline-specific academic writing (the writing/thinking connection, curriculum problem-solving, discourse analysis); Undergraduate research skills (integration of research with writing, source use, plagiarism prevention); Graduate and scholarship application writing; and Faculty/staff editorial needs.
A 1985 graduate of William Smith College, Susan also holds an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Rochester and an M.A. in Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
“When the thinking is fuzzy, the writing is fuzzy, so the secret to clear writing is clear thinking. So how do I think clearly?”
GARY L. MATASSARIN, Writing Specialist
Gary is one of the CTL Writing Specialists, jointly appointed to CTL and the Writing and Rhetoric Department, along with his colleague Susan Hess. Gary and Susan oversee the many and growing writing activities of the Center, including outreach to the Colleges’ faculty and staff (helping them plan and meet their writing and writing teaching needs), coordination with Writing and Rhetoric to enhance writing education and exchange on campus, and supervision of the Center’s writing support for students.
Gary’s areas of specialty include support for program development, training and supervision of Writing Colleagues; writing workshop development; cognitive development and critical and analytical thinking; work with “struggling writers” and English Language Learners; liaison to the Intercultural Affairs program, Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and the Writing Colleagues Program.
Gary has a B.A. in English and Philosophy and an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Kansas. He has been teaching writing and directing writing programs for thirty years, including at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and Cornell University.
“Writing itself is one of the great, free human activities” (William Stafford).
DAVID SILVER, Coordinator of Disability Services
David is responsible for coordinating the services available to our students with disabilities. This process begins with outreach to prospective students as well as with each new first year class. As students choose to self-identify, David helps them with gathering and submitting documentation of disability. When documentation has been submitted, David facilitates the determination of eligibility process and subsequent negotiation of appropriate accommodations for those who qualify.
David holds a B.A. in English, a M.Ed. in Special Education.
SAM VANN, Coordinator of Student Services
Sam Vann is the Coordinator of Student Services for the CTL. Sam is responsible for selectively recruiting and overseeing peer content tutors for a variety of courses. He also schedules and proctors exams for students with disabilities.
In addition to his regular duties, he communicates daily with professors and staff on other issues regarding students in the day-to-day operation of the Center. During the spring semester he participates in the Hobart Back-on-Track Program, and during the summer teaches a study skills course for the Opportunities Program.
SUSAN M. PLINER, Director
Susan is responsible for leadership in creating an empowering vision and direction for the CTL. She supports the work of the CTL staff in providing enriching opportunities for teaching and learning at HWS.
Susan has a B.A. in Secondary Social Studies Education, a M.Ed. in Special Education, a CAGS in Social Justice Education, and an Ed.D. in Human Development. Her areas of specialty include universal instructional design for teaching and learning; multicultural and social justice education; college student learning and development; social identity development theory and practice in higher education; history of disability and disability studies; and special education. Susan has been working in higher education since 1990.
Center for Teaching and Learning
Harris House
678 South Main Street
Phone: (315) 781-3351
Fax: (315) 781-3862
TTY:
(315) 781-4412
E-mail: ctl@hws.edu
Learn more about CTL's team of student staff.