Stracener nominated for Piper Professor award

by Caroline Baslie, sports editor

South Plains College’s Pete Stracener recently was nominated for the Piper Professor award, which recognizes outstanding teaching and service.
"Pete is a very deserving candidate," said Dr. Kelvin Sharp, president of SPC. "Not only is Pete an exemplary teacher in the college classroom, he also has a distinctive record of service to his community, helping students develop leadership capabilities beyond the classroom."
Stracener, who is SPC's professor of welding technology, joined the school in 1980 and was named program coordinator the following year.
Stracener was awarded the SPC Faculty Excellence Award in May 2006.
"It was a nice honor," Stracener said of winning the SPC award. "I was somewhat surprised that I was nominated."
During the past 26 years, Stracener has worked to build the welding program into a greatly respected training program, the graduates of which are in high demand.
"This is as an honor [to be nominated],” Stracener said. “But, the SPC award is more important to me, because it was voted on by my peers, and it's nice to have the respect of the people that you have worked with for years."
Incorporating national skill standards into his program, Stracener offers his students another level of certification that is accepted nationwide.
“We have a two-year program,” said Stracener. “Students can get either their associate’s degree or certificate of proficiency.”
This semester, SPC has its largest enrollment ever seen for the welding program, with 49 students.
“We provide training in all the major welding processes,” Stracener added. “We try to prepare our students to be able to enter the welding industry at the highest level possible.”
Outside of the classroom, Stracener is a member of numerous committees and councils to bring improvement to the college, as well as the surrounding community.
Also, the success of Stracener and the welding technology program was recognized through the establishment of the Pete Stracener Instructor's Scholarship by Worley Welding Works, Inc.
The Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation will select 15 recipients and award $5,000 to each professor chosen for excellent teaching at the college level. The winners are selected on the basis of nominations by the college and university presidents of Texas. Since 1958, those chosen include outstanding professors from two- and four-year colleges and universities.