In the middle of a routine lecture class Oct. 3, Associate Professor Anthony Mirando saw his dean, program coordinator and several other coworkers begin filing into his classroom. Melissa Dyer, a professor at the College of Nursing, was carrying a large sign.
The construction management professor had just found out he won the 2023 Outstanding Teaching Award – and he said he was completely shocked.
“It was great but surprising,” he said. “I knew I had submitted paperwork associated with that, but I didn’t know that that’s how they did it.”
Mirando was officially presented with the award, which is a $1,500 award presented to three people a year, at a ceremony that took place on Oct. 21. The award is the highest teaching honor for non-tenure track and part-time faculty at the university.
Mirando became a lecturer at Kent State in 2015. He earned a master’s degree from Colorado State and then a doctorate from Kent State in 2021.
As a 2011 graduate of the university, and a former member of the football team, Mirando said choosing to work at Kent State was an easy decision.
“That’s what’s really brought me back to come back and teach,” he said. “I tell people I bleed blue and gold. I love that I can say that I’ve got a lot of deep roots to Kent State.”
Mirando called working at the university the “most rewarding thing” he could ever think of.
“I would just say that Kent State is synonymous with opportunity,” Mirando said. “They gave me an education multiple times. They allowed me to come back and teach. They have great world-renowned resources.”
In addition to his Outstanding Teacher Award, Mirando also reflected on his favorite teaching memory: helping students win first place in the University of Cincinnati New Builders Competition in 2019.
This competition involved groups of college students creating various plans for Mercy Health Hospital’s Freestanding Emergency Department. The students competed against groups from other universities with well-established programs, some of which had been participating for a decade or more, Mirando said.
“It felt so great because we tried so hard,” he said. “Since then, we’ve won, nationally, six different competitions. It would be like Kent State beating Ohio State football.”
Mirando said he hopes to see every student reach their fullest potential.
“I tell everybody: Show up,” Mirando said. “Show up and good things will happen. You know, you’ll do better in school, you’ll meet new people, you’ll expand your horizons. And that’s what we’re here at Kent State University to do.”
Lex Ogilvie is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
