GMC News

Georgia Military College Names 2017-2018 Educator of the Year and Character Educator of the Year

Georgia Military College (GMC) has named Tiffany James Educator of the Year, and Ben White Character Educator of the Year for the 2017-2018 school year. Both James and White have had impactful careers at Georgia Military College. James is a Professor of Anatomy and Physiology and Biology at GMC. She is also Department Chair for the Department of Natural Science at Georgia Military College. White is a Professor of Biology at GMC. Both James and White are Professors at GMC’s Warner Robins campus.

James began her career in education after obtaining a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree in Biological and Environmental Science from Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville. James began her teaching career at Georgia Military College in 2005, teaching Anatomy, Physiology, and Biology, a role she still holds today. She is also the Department Chair for the Department of Natural Science at GMC, and served as Assistant Academic Dean at GMC-Warner Robins for a little more than a year. James’ love of science spans beyond the reach of Georgia Military College, as she shares her passion through her book, “Making Anatomy and Physiology Easy,” a companion guide to her YouTube channel and anatomy and biology lectures. James won the award for Amazon Top 100 Best Sellers in the Category of Anatomy. 2016-Present for eBook version of “Making Anatomy and Physiology Easy.” She also was honored as the Character Educator of the Year for Georgia Military College Warner Robins Campus for the 2007-2008 school year. She says now being named Educator of the year, is an honor.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to have been chosen as Educator of the Year. I have sincerely enjoyed the last 13 years of teaching at GMC and look forward to many more. It is very exciting to be recognized for the work I enjoy so much,” James said. “As my teaching career has evolved, I have tried to stay in tune with students’ point of view. The students have taught me to be a better professor. I think that it is easy for faculty to forget what it is like at the beginning of their education. I try to meet each student where they are and work to bring them where they need to be to succeed. I strive to never talk over them and work diligently to connect the difficult material to everyday life experiences. If a student can relate to the sciences, they may grow to love them. I attempt to show the students that I care about their success and sincerely want them to do well. I would like them to feel comfortable approaching me when they are struggling. I have built my career on maintaining that student connection. With that as my focus, I hope I am able to reach more of them and see them succeed.”

Executive Director for Georgia Military College’s Warner Robins, Robins Air Force Base, Dublin, and Eastman campuses, Ted Ramsdell, says James is a true benefit to the GMC-Warner Robins team.

“Tiffany is one of those rare instructors that can make a challenging subject such as Anatomy and Physiology, understandable without sacrificing the rigor the course demands,” Ramsdell said. “Her students are so well-prepared that nursing programs aggressively recruit our pre-nursing graduates.”

White is also a Professor at Georgia Military College’s campus in Warner Robins. Before his career at GMC, he too graduated from Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville with a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree in Biology. He continued to conduct research with Georgia College, receiving the distinguished graduate award for contributions to their ongoing research of the biology department. He began teaching at Georgia Military College’s Warner Robins campus in 2000. In addition to teaching, White goes beyond the classroom, working with students and the community through different organizations. He has served on the board of Keep Warner Robins Beautiful for ten years. Through this he provides students opportunities for community involvement. He also worked to develop the Warner Robins Nature Center and Botanical Gardens, a collaboration between Georgia Military College, NAMI of Central Georgia, and Keep Warner Robins Beautiful. White says working with the students at GMC, in and outside of the classroom, is what he considers a win.

“It is an honor to be recognized for Character Educator of the Year,” White said. “I enjoy the opportunity to work with students at GMC, not only as their Professor, but also a person. My philosophy is to have students experience things outside the classroom. I find that students gain a more thorough understanding of material when they can see how it applies through hands on experiences. Working side by side with students and with others in the community has enabled me to build relationships that enhance the student’s classroom experience as well as my own professional career.”

Ramsdell says White is also a key figure at Georgia Military College Warner Robins.

“Ben, as a Biologist, excels at taking the students out of the classroom and having them directly participate in local environmental projects and community enhancements,” Ramsdell said. “By doing so, his students gain awareness and a desire to become more involved.”

Both James and White were recognized at Georgia Military College’s Academic Honors Parade on April, 20, 2018. Congratulations to both!