Adjunct Teaching Excellence Award

2006 Adjunct Teaching Excellence Award Goes to Tom Innocente

Thomas J. "Sarge" Innocente Sr. of Somers Point, senior adjunct instructor in criminal justice at Atlantic Cape Community College, was awarded the college's second Adjunct Teaching Excellence Award at the school's 39th annual commencement ceremony in May 2006.

The college created the award to honor an adjunct instructor "who cares deeply about students and demonstrates a passion for teaching and learning," ACCC president Dr. Peter Mora said. "This year's winner is someone who challenges students to think critically and engages them in lessons that stretch their minds."

In nominating him for the award, student Sheena Cicala described Innocente as "the kind of person that will do anything for his students. He believes in the interactive approach and loves to get students involved in class discussions, school events and club activities. I've had many teachers over the years, but none has come close to Sarge and his teaching skills. When he discusses a topic, he relates them to real life events so we better understand the concept."

Innocente, an ACCC adjunct for more than 20 years, has a storied background in civilian and military law enforcement. He was selected for the award from among five finalists.

Innocente's multi-faceted career in police work includes 32 years in the New Jersey State Police beginning as a uniformed officer and retiring as director of the South Jersey Forensics Laboratory and a stint as a senior investigator with the state public defender's office. He served five years as a Navy submariner during the Vietnam War and 28 years in the Army reserve, including active duty during the first Gulf War.

He has attended more than two dozen police and military schools and courses and was assistant training director at the Cape May County Police Academy.

He is a member of many civic and professional associations and has earned a number of honors, citations, and medals.

Innocente is one of ACCC's own, having earned an associate of arts degree at the college. He also earned a bachelor of arts at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and a master's degree from Seton Hall University.

2005 Adjunct Teaching Excellence Award Goes to Martin Berdinis

The winner of the first annual ACCC Adjunct Teaching Excellence Award was Martin Berdinis. In addition to being an innovative and dedicated educator, Martin epitomized what community college is all about, having begun pursuing his own higher education after retiring from a successful career as a confectioner.

Martin Berdinis receiving award

Born in Philadelphia, Martin Berdinis moved to Atlantic City in 1944, graduating from Atlantic City High in 1955. He married his wife, Hennie, his high school sweetheart, in August 1956, while serving in the United States Air Force. They had three children, Steven of Houston, Michelle of Colorado Springs, and Charles of Niagara Falls, and seven grandchildren.

Upon retiring from the candy making business in October 1984, Martin enrolled at ACCC the following spring, graduating in 1986. He then went on to Stockton, graduating in 1988 with a BA in psychology. Before even graduating from Stockton, he began taking classes at Widener in the evenings. He received a Masters degree in Human Resources with a concentration in industrial psychology.

Martin joined the ACCC adjunct faculty in 1990, regularly teaching at all campuses. Among the first instructors to teach online, he made his online classes interactive. He was described by Maryann Carol, Director of Instructional Technology as "one of the most dedicated and inventive online instructors I have ever met...one of the first instructors to use multimedia games in an online course. The 'Ring Toss' exercise both entertains and teaches about competition, perceptions and group norms. Students love it! ...The rate of return on his online course evaluations consistently exceeds those of his peers, and comments from the majority of his students, semester after semester, remain positive and appreciative."

He also taught at Richard Stockton College, where he was awarded the Stockton Psychology Alumni of the Year Award.

Of what led to him beginning his college career upon retirement and then teaching, Martin said, "Often, when introducing myself to a new group of students, I talk to them about why I am teaching. Uppermost in the list of reasons is the whole concept of community college education. As a nontraditional student, I would have never had the opportunity to be exposed to higher education if it were not for institutions such as Atlantic Cape Community College. For many bright, capable people a college education is out of reach for a myriad of reasons that might include money, family and work responsibilities, inability to travel, and/or age. I became so enamored of the idea of open enrollment and the type of close relationships between teachers and students that community colleges have to offer, I just wanted to be part of that process."

Martin always went goes the extra distance to connect with his students and made his classes memorable.

Martin succumbed to pancreatic cancer on September 18, 2005.