McMinnville Campus Faculty Profiles

April Kinney is a writing instructor at the McMinnville campus.  She teaches primarily Writing 115 and 121.  She was recently the student choice's award winner for instructor of the term, Spring 2008.  We caught up with her during the Summer Term and she was able to answer a few questions.

How long have you been teaching here?

I started teaching for Chemeketa this past Fall (2007), and I love it more each term. I had the privilege to teach a class on the Salem campus, but most of my classes are in McMinnville.

What interested you in teaching?

I became interested in teaching during my undergraduate years at Western Oregon University. I was impressed by how caring my writing teachers were, and they taught me to be passionate about supporting students and showing them what they can do if they just believe in themselves. Many people come to my writing classes with bad memories of writing assignments they’ve had in the past and discouraging feedback they received. Some even tell me they can’t write. Actually, I love it when they say that, because then I get to show them that they can. At the very least, I want to teach my students not to hate writing; the best is when they leave my class telling me that they have learned to love it.

Where did you teach before, and what brought you to Chemeketa?

Last year, I taught WR 121 at Oregon State University as a graduate teaching assistant. In the English Department there we don’t actually assist anyone—we run our own classes. OSU is a huge campus—very different from Chemeketa. I applied to teach here because I thought that community college students might need me more than big university students. When I was first hired, I was warned that many students arrive feeling unsure of whether they belong in college. I enjoy having the chance to show them that they do indeed belong here!

What do you like about the students here?

I love my students. The Chemeketa student body is just amazing, very diverse, and very committed to working hard in their classes. It’s a pleasure to teach people who want to learn. I am so impressed with how they balance their busy home lives, kids, jobs, with school.

What terms do you teach or do you instruct year-round?

I teach year-round for Chemeketa… of course, I haven’t quite been here a whole year yet, but I’m looking forward to the classes that they have already assigned me to this fall. Speaking of fall term, I’m getting married in August, so my name will change to Carothers, if anyone is looking to sign up for my classes…Just look for April in McMinnville.

What are your degrees in and where did you attend school?

Right now, I am getting ready to defend my master’s thesis at the end of July. That is the last step before I graduate with my Master of Arts in English/Rhetoric and Writing from OSU. I have a bachelor's degree in Writing with a minor in Linguistics from Western Oregon University. At first, I worried that I had studied too close to home, but then I realized that students here are often getting ready to go to a local college, so my knowledge of these universities and their requirements is valuable.

Do you have any stories about instructing here, or positive memories about your work here?

Each term I collect new memories. What I dislike the most: that last day of class when I know that I may never see my students again. I’m always glad when my WR 115 students decide to take WR 121 with me, so I get a little more time with them. What I love: when I see a student break through their fear and really begin to express themselves in writing. I remember one gentleman who kept telling me he didn’t belong in my class, kept insisting that he couldn’t write. He was extremely stressed and believed what he was saying. He almost had me convinced, but then one day, after I kept refusing to let him off the hook, he turned in a beautiful essay and scored full points. I believe that anyone can write with power and grace, but first they have to believe in themselves. My job is to start them on that path.

Thank you, April, for taking the time answer our questions!

Gordon Fultz is a psychology instructor at the McMinnville campus.  He teaches various psychology classes but primarily PSY101, or Psychology of Human Relations.  He was recently the student choice's award winner for instructor of the term, Spring 2007.  We caught up with him and asked him a few questions.

How long have you been teaching here?

I started teaching at Chemeketa in 1974 at the Salem campus and have been teaching at the McMinnville campus for 10 years.  I also taught at the University of Oregon and Portland State University.  

What interested you in psychology?

In high school I was barely a "C" student, I had low self-esteem and I changed schools frequently.  Once I enrolled in junior college and was out on my own, I played baseball, had a circle of friends, I enrolled in an influential speech class and found a different atmosphere for learning.  I hardly spoke in high school but became student body president in college.  I attribute this to a shift in my self-awareness, self-esteem and human relations, and later became very interested in the topics and psychology in general.  I later went on to do research in the area of self-esteem and human relations with Erich Fromm and the Coro Foundation in San Francisco. 

What do you like about working at Chemeketa's McMinnville campus?

There is a family-like atmosphere here, the office staff take good care of you and are very helpful.  Teaching here is rewarding because class sizes are small and students can get more personal attention. 

What do you like about the students here?

I really appreciate teaching both students that are on an academic path as well as ones that attend my classes for their personal interest and enrichment.  It makes for a great mix of students in my classes.  I also appreciate that more experienced students are more than willing to help out students that are new to the school and college in general.  It makes for a good learning atmosphere.

Thank you, Gordon, for taking the time to learn more about you!

Katie LeCoe - Sociology Instructor

Hello, my name is Katie LeCoe. For the last ten years, I have been teaching sociology at the McMinnville Campus, and at Portland Community College for the last seventeen years. I guess you could say I love to teach.

As my students and I have pondered the diverse world of people (different cultures, socialization, inequities, and social deviance), I have found immense satisfaction in being able to facilitate the process. I have also enjoyed very much the diversity within the classroom — from the younger to the older student, from the poor to the more well-to-do, from the small business owner to the single parent — all of these individuals, and many more, have made my teaching experience a sheer joy.

But there was a time when I was rather unsure of what I was going to do. As a single parent with two children and a GED, I decided to come back to school. I attended two community colleges where I earned three associate degrees and then pursued the goal of becoming a sociologist at Portland State University, where I earned my bachelor's in 1982 and my Master's in 1989. I now do what I truly love to do.

For more information, call 503.472.9482 or visit us at 500 NW Hill Road in McMinnville.