MC Ambassador...MC "Superwoman!"

In a 1951 Action Comics Superman story, Lois Lane actually gains superpowers, thanks to one of Lex Luthor’s inventions, and launches a short-lived career as "Superwoman."  However, her superpowers were only temporary and they fade away at the end of the day.  Unlike the powers of Lois Lane, there appears to be no end in sight for the superpowers of MC Superwoman and Government Professor Dr. Terry Gilmour!  On May 5 at MC’s annual service awards celebration, Dr. Gilmour was awarded with one of two 2010-2011 MC Ambassador Awards. 

Gilmour serves as the immediate past president of the MC Faculty Senate, and she is also a member of the Davidson Distinguished Lecture Series Committee.  Last year, seeing a need for additional opportunities for MC faculty professional development, Gilmour and her husband Bruce established the Jerry Mills Faculty Development Fund.  Mills is a retired MC government instructor and a colleague and friend of Gilmour’s.  “Bruce and I wanted to establish the fund in Jerry’s honor as a way for MC faculty to have additional resources for development and training,” explains Gilmour.  “Community college budgets are going to be reduced drastically over the next few years.  This means that funding for faculty professional development is going to be slim.  It is so important for college faculty to be able to attend workshops, seminars and other training opportunities in order to share ideas and discover innovative approaches to teaching.  I have been fortunate to attend some wonderful professional development workshops that have really enhanced my class lectures and online material.”

This past April, Gilmour participated in a week-long University of Oxford Roundtable seminar and discussion entitled Women in the Academy: Progress and Prospects.  Dr. Gilmour was one of 18 participants from around the world in all disciplines of higher education; however, only two of the participants were from community colleges.  Gilmour presented research focusing on leadership by women in community colleges.  She says, “It was a GREAT experience—we all became such good friends in the process of sharing our work, our frustrations and our hopes for the future of higher education, particularly for women. It dovetailed nicely as most all of my writing has centered on gender issues, mostly in the political arena.”

Gilmour enjoys staying busy.  In addition to teaching five or six classes during each fall and spring semester at MC, Gilmour also usually teaches during the accelerated interim and summer semesters.  Her favorite teaching responsibility, however, is one in which she does strictly on a volunteer basis—teaching Political Geography for MC’s College Classics program.  College Classics is for people aged 50+, and each course is taught once a week in a four-week session.  Gilmour teaches two sessions every fall and three sessions every spring in the Margaret Cowden Clubhouse at Manor Park Retirement Community.  Gilmour says, “Most of the students in my class live in the independent living homes at Manor Park, and they are very active and bright.  They definitely keep me on my toes!” 

Gilmour began teaching the College Classics Political Geography course in the fall of 2008.  “We studied Afghanistan for four weeks,” states Gilmour.  The class and Gilmour were so well-liked that the students wanted to come back for the next four-week session and study another country.  And, so began a Margaret Cowden Clubhouse weekly tradition.  Dr. Gilmour’s classes have studied countries such as Vietnam, Iran, Costa Rica, Japan, Poland, Tibet, and most recently, Chile.  “This fall, we will probably study a country in South America, the Middle East and/or Africa,” Gilmour says.  “It requires me to do some research, but I love it.  The first week, I start with an overview of the country; the second week, we cover the country’s culture and geography; the third week, I discuss the country’s history; and during the fourth week, we talk about the country’s politics.  I usually bring in outside speakers—people who have lived in the country or have recently visited there.”

Brenda Cordero, Associate Director of MC’s Community Programs Continuing Education and coordinator of the College Classics program, says, “Dr. Gilmour is adored by her College Classics students at Manor Park. . . they consider her ‘family.’”  At the end of the last session this past spring, Gilmour invited the entire class to her home and cooked lunch for them.  MC Vice President of Institutional Advancement Dr. Eileen Piwetz notes, “Terry is a fabulous cook—she can cater events at a moment’s notice.”

Despite her busy teaching schedule, Gilmour also manages to be an advisor to MC’s Student Government Association (SGA), something which she has done for approximately eight years.  Next weekend, Dr. Gilmour and MC Student Activities Coordinator Stephanie Van Curen are conducting a leadership training session at Palo Duro Canyon for SGA members.  In the fall, Gilmour will once again volunteer as the scorekeeper for the MC Lady Chaps volleyball games.  And, she is an avid reader.  At any one time, she is usually reading four books!  “I have one at the office, one at home, one in my car, and I also listen to books on tape,” explains Gilmour.

In presenting the 2010-2011 MC Ambassador Award to Gilmour, Dr. Eileen Piwetz stated, “Dr. Gilmour goes above and beyond her call of duty at this institution, not just as a faculty member, but as a student recruiter/advisor, volleyball sponsor and an SGA leader. . . She demonstrates a positive attitude in everything she does at Midland College. . . Dr. Gilmour is one individual that I am proud to have on our team!”