Nunez Community College honored three nominees for the college’s annual Excellence In Teaching Award with a luncheon April 30.
Electrical Instructor Steve Baiamonte, Assistant Professor of Sociology Dr. Charles Miller, and Clinical Coordinator & Nursing Instructor Melanie Schmill were chosen by their faculty peers as the best examples of Nunez’s core values in action in the field of instruction. The winner of the Excellence In Teaching Award will be announced at the podium during Nunez’s Graduation Ceremony, May 21, at the Sigur Civic Center.
Each nominee was introduced to a packed house in the Culinary Café by a colleague who described their individual strengths and styles. Baiamonte, Miller, and Schmill each addressed the crowd to express their gratitude and share what it meant to them to be recognized as leaders among the faculty.
Baiamonte, who was raised in St. Bernard Parish, followed the family business into the electrical field. He has been with Nunez since 2017 and is a past recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award in 2021.
“When it comes to teaching, one of the best electricians taught me, so I feel that my students deserve the same,” said Baiamonte.
Miller is a past Excellence in Teaching nominee with ten years of experience at Nunez. He describes his sociology classes as dialogue-driven with an emphasis on critical thinking.
“I love witnessing those moments when students get it. Watching them connect the dots on the social structures that influence their lives. Those classroom experiences remind me why teaching is my passion,” said Miller.
Schmill has been at Nunez for three years and is a first-time Excellence in Teaching nominee. She draws on her years of experience as a nurse in both patient care and managerial roles to expose students to multiple perspectives on the roles nurses play.
“I’m determined to contribute to the future of healthcare by shaping compassionate, well-rounded, and competent professionals by fostering an engaging and interactive classroom environment,” said Schmill.
Nunez Chancellor Tina Tinney, Ed. D., said she rates Nunez’s faculty amongst the top educators in Louisiana higher education. She said that she places the Excellence In Teaching nominees each year on a short list of the very best instructors in the state.
Nunez’s 2024 Excellence In Teaching winner, Care and Development of Young Children Program Director and Instructor Kathleen Huff, headed up the 2025 Excellence In Teaching committee and emceed the luncheon.
Before the introduction and recognition of the nominees, more than 50 faculty and staff were treated to a special, five-course meal prepared and served by students in the Nunez Culinary program. The menu featured coconut roti tacos as appetizers, an entrée of Thai salmon in a BBQ curry sauce, and African banana fritters in coconut cream sauce for dessert.
The luncheon served as a practicum assignment for students under the supervision of Culinary Program Chair Ronda DeForest.
