Top Teacher Draws on Dartmouth Profs' Skills

A teacher should know her students inside and outside of class, not just from their papers," says Ellen Olmstead '83. "Students need to know someone is paying attention to them and that they can ask questions or seek advice."

That's the pedagogical stance that earned Olmstead the title of 1999 National Community College Teacher of the Year. She says she learned her approach to teaching from her Dartmouth professors. "I didn't know what I wanted to dowhenlstarted college, and my first year was difficult," she says. "Some professors reached out to me and responded to me as a person. I saw how powerful that was and what a great impact they had on pupils." The latest recipients of that lesson are Olmstead's English classes at Bristol Community College in Fall River, Mass., where she has spent the last six years.

Other Dartmouth alums who deserve a rouse:

Claude V. Offray Jr. '49, president and chairman of C.M. Offray & Son, which won the 1999 New Jersey Family Business of the Year Award. The 123-year-old firm makes ribbons for the White House dinner table and Olympic medals.

David R.Godschalk'53, named to the North Carolina Commission to Address Smart Growth, Growth Management and Development Issues.Afellowofthe American Institute of Certified Planners, an expert on land-use planning and a professor at the University of North Carolina, Godschalk helped draft the bill creating the commission.

English assistantprofessorOlmstead acts asadvisor, advocateand classroomguide.