(North Canton, OH – May 23. 2022) – Stark State College has named its top faculty and staff members for 2021-2022. Murray Hooten, III, assistant director of TRIO Student Support Services, was chosen for the Distinguished Staff Award; Nathan Miller, DC, assistant professor in the biology department, received the Distinguished Teaching Award; and Carla Dalrymple, an adjunct professor in communication, was chosen for the Adjunct Excellence in Teaching Award.

Hooten, of Massillon, holds a master’s degree in education from The University of Akron and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Baldwin-Wallace University. He has worked with Stark State’s TRiO Student Support Services since 2005, providing academic support, student success and retention services to first-generation and low-income students as well as students with disabilities. He also served as assistant director of Career Services at Baldwin-Wallace University and as an admissions counselor/minority student recruiter at Walsh University. Active on many Stark State committees and a participant in numerous professional trainings, he also earned the Twenty Under Forty Award from the Canton Chamber of Commerce and Y Stark and the Positive Force Award at Baldwin-Wallace, among other accolades.

Miller, a North Canton resident, earned his doctor of chiropractic degree and a bachelor’s degree in human biology from the National University of Health Sciences. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Brigham Young University. He has been with the Stark State biology department since 2017 and also serves as a TriBeta Honor Society club advisor. He previously worked as an adjunct faculty member at Western Nevada College, Truckee Meadows Community College, Benedictine University and Triton College and as an instructor at National University of Heath Sciences. He also was a chiropractic physician at Sierra Nevada Family Medicine, Miller Chiropractic and Elite Healthcare and served as a board member of the Anatomical Gift Association of Illinois. He is a member of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society and the American Association of Clinical Anatomists.

Dalrymple, an Akron resident, holds a master’s degree in communication and a bachelor’s degree in English, both from The University of Akron. She has been an adjunct professor in communication at Stark State since 2011 and also is a senior lecturer at The University of Akron, teaching argumentation and public speaking. She previously taught English as a second language at VIPKID and worked as an adjunct professor at Brown Mackie College as well as a customer service representative for Progressive Insurance. She is a member of the Ohio Communication Association and volunteers at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens.

In addition, the Stark State College Board of Trustees annually bestows Strategic Excellence Awards to recognize and reward employees who consistently exceed expectations and performance in advancing the mission of the College. The 2022 winners are:

• full-time, student facing: Lynn Espenschied, Patricia Kincaid, Cindy Putnam and Jane Upperman
• management/leadership: Lisa Gilliland and Deb Haslar
• satellite: Barb Dawson
• full-time, non-student facing: Jennifer Goedel and Bruce Wyder