Master Teacher
Robert Carlson Robert Carlson, a Butler instructor for 30 years, is the college’s Master Teacher Award winner for the 2019–2020 academic year. Carlson will also represent Butler as a recipient of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Award. NISOD assists community and technical college staff in professional development as well as helping faculty meet the needs of students. According to NISOD, the Excellence Award recognizes community and technical college faculty who perform “extraordinary work on their campuses.” Those chosen have “demonstrated outstanding commitment and contribution to their students and colleagues.” Carlson teaches chemistry and physics at Butler. He said he strives to get his students to perform at levels they did not think were possible, in order to prepare them for the next step in their education. Carlson said he is honored to earn the accolades, even though it has not been a goal of his.
“I don’t do things to earn awards,” Carlson said. “If you do things for the wrong reason, negative things happen.” Typically, award winners travel to Austin in late May to attend a banquet and awards ceremony, where they are awarded a medallion. The in-person NISOD gathering for this year was canceled, however, due to CDC recommendations. At Butler, Carlson's photo will be added to the wall collection of previous Butler Community College Master Teacher recipients, awarded since 1973. Carlson did speak for the virtual commencement, available to view on Butler's YouTube channel.
18 | BUTLER COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION
After teaching and coaching at Oberlin High School in western Kansas for five years, Carlson joined Butler as a faculty member in 1990. At the time, faculty aided with enrollment, which was all done in person in one day. He recalls the 600 Building before the lower level was constructed and three working oil wells operating on campus in the middle of the parking lots. Carlson has been a facilitator with the Grizzly Adventures challenge course since its creation in 2003. He was involved this year in the creation of a chemistry video that was shown to thousands of grade school children during a Wichita Thunder hockey game in January at INTRUST Bank Arena. Carlson is a big believer in peer tutoring and has created several initiatives for students to take advantage of, including a weekly tutoring program called Magical Mystical Fridays.
