The highest honor that can be bestowed on a faculty member at Holyoke Community College is to be a recipient of the Elaine Marieb Chair for Teaching Excellence. Made possible through the generosity of professor emeritus Elaine Marieb, this was our 18th year of being able to award this distinction. This year’s recipient was professor Kim Hicks who oversees the college’s honors program and who was treated to a wonderful DVD produced here at the college. A reflective video, the piece highlighted Kim’s Montana upbringing, her love of crossword puzzles and her insatiable desire to read. Kim has said, “The purpose of knowing things is to make something of what you know. The first thing you make is yourself.” For the past decade she has encouraged her students to reshape the world as well as their own lives. Kim’s respect for the diverse perspectives and experiences of her students has made hers a classroom that fosters self-expression and nurtures intellectual growth.