Broward College each year recognizes members of its distinguished faculty with the Professors of the Year and Adjunct Professors of the Year awards.

The recipients will receive their awards at the college's spring commencement ceremonies, May 6 at the Omni Auditorium on North Campus in Coconut Creek.

"With these annual awards, we salute the quality and dedication of our creative and hard-working faculty, and illustrate the high esteem in which they are held at the college," said Broward College President J. David Armstrong, Jr. "Every day, these professors infuse our students with knowledge as much as they help teach them to think critically and ask probing questions."

Recipients of the 2009 Professors of the Year Award are:

Hugh Adams Central Campus: Dr. Todd E. Bernhardt, assistant professor of sociology.
Dr. Bernhardt, a Plantation resident, started his higher education at Harper College (Palatine, Ill.), then earned bachelor of arts, bachelor of science and master of arts degrees at Western Illinois University, Macomb, and his doctorate from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Dr. Bernhardt's outstanding commitment to teaching also was recognized through the Cleveland Clinic Endowed Teaching Chair, which he was awarded in 2007.

Adams Central Campus: Jeffrey K. Guild, associate professor of mathematics.
Professor Guild has deep roots in Broward County. After graduating from Boyd Anderson High School, he went on to Flagler College in Saint Augustine, where he earned his bachelor's degree with majors in computer science, philosophy and religion. He then returned to South Florida to earn his master's degree in mathematics from Florida Atlantic University. Professor Guild, a resident of Pompano Beach, also has taught at FAU and Palm Beach Community College.

Adams Central Campus: Angel M. Rodriguez, professor of biological and physical science.
Professor Rodriguez's academic pursuits have taken him to points throughout the globe. He earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Puerto Rico, Humacao. From there, he went to California, to earn his master's degree in oceanography at the University of California's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Deigo. At Broward, Professor Rodriguez's excellence in the classroom also has been recognized through the 2005 Motorola, Inc. Endowed Teaching Chair. He is a resident of Parkland.

North Campus: Lynne B. Thorner, assistant professor of English.
Professor Thorner started at Broward as an adjunct professor and later joined the faculty full-time. She earned her bachelor's degree in education at the University of Vermont, and her master's degree in English from Manhattanville College, Purchase, N.Y. Professor Thorner, a resident of Fort Lauderdale, also has served as an adjunct professor at South Central Community College and Quinnipiac College, both in Connecticut as well as Florida Atlantic University, and Lynn University.

Judson A. Samuels South Campus: Darenda R. Borgers, assistant professor of English for Academic Purposes.
Professor Borgers, who teaches English to speakers of other languages, earned her bachelor's degree in English and Spanish from Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, and a master's degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She also studied at the Universidad de Salamanca, Spain. Professor Borgers is a resident of Pembroke Pines.

The Adjunct Professor of the Year Awards recognize the dedication and efforts of our part-time faculty. This year's recipients are:

Adams Central Campus: Deoraj Bharath, instructor of statistics.
In addition to his work in the classroom, Professor Bharath also has served the college for more than a decade in a variety of institutional effectiveness and research roles. After earning a teacher's diploma at Corinth Teachers' College in Trinidad & Tobago, he earned bachelor and master's degrees from Florida Atlantic University and a second master's degree from Harvard University. A resident of Deerfield Beach, Professor Bharath is completing work on his doctorate at Florida International University.

Adams Central Campus: Joshua P. Kimber, instructor of philosophy and ethics.
Professor Kimber, a Weston resident, earned his bachelor and master's degrees at Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Mass., and currently is finishing work on his doctoral dissertation in the field of Asian and comparative philosophy at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, Honolulu. In March, he and two of his fellow doctoral students at UH-Manoa celebrated the release of a book they edited - "Comparative Philosophy Today and Tomorrow: Proceedings from the 2007 Uehiro CrossCurrents Philosophy Conference," published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Adams Central Campus: Riva H. Markowitz, instructor of American Sign Language.
Professor Markowitz personally knows the impact community colleges can make on a student's life. She started her higher education at Miami-Dade College, where she earned an associate in arts degree. From there she went on to earn her bachelor's degree at the University of South Florida, and her master's degree in special education from the University of North Florida, Jacksonville. Professor Markowitz is a resident of Davie.

North Campus: Nancy Houle, instructor of American Sign Language.
Like Professor Markowitz, Professor Houle teaches courses in American Sign Language, and also began her education at a community college. She began in a certificate program at Lansing Community College, then went on to Michigan State University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in deaf education. In addition to her work at Broward College, she has worked as a teacher and interpreter at Seminole and New River middle schools. Professor Houle is a resident of Fort Lauderdale.

Samuels South Campus: Judith A. Slapak, instructor of education.
After starting her higher education at Broward College, Professor Slapak has returned here to inspire our next generation of educators. After earning her associate degree at Broward, she went on to earn her bachelor's degree in psychology at Florida International University and her master's degree in instructional technology at American InterContinental University, Hoffman Estates, Ill. Professor Slapak is a resident of Hollywood.