NCU Student Named Regional Teacher of the Year in Texas

Prescott Valley, Arizona—September 11, 2007 — Northcentral University (www.ncu.edu), an innovator in 100% online higher education, announced today that one of its student, Vicki Mueller, a middle school teacher in Amarillo, Texas, was named Regional Teacher of the Year for Region 16. Ms. Mueller is pursuing a doctor of education degree at NCU with a specialization in Instructional and Curriculum Leadership.

Dr. Claudia Santin, Northcentral University president and provost, cites Mueller as "a great example of NCU’s School of Education students. She continues to pursue personal and professional excellence, balancing her dedication to her classroom with studying at NCU."

Mueller teaches language arts to eighth graders at Amarillo’s Stephen F. Austin Middle School.

Being named Regional Teacher of the Year for Region 16 is a significant accomplishment, as there are more than 6,000 teachers in that region alone. But Mueller was also named as one of three finalists for Texas’ Secondary Teacher of the Year honors and one of six finalists for the state’s Teacher of the Year award. She traveled to Austin, the state capital, on September 22 for an interview and will return to the capital on November 3 for a luncheon honoring all 40 of the state’s Regional Teacher of the Year winners.

Robert Scott, Texas’ acting Commissioner of Education, praised this elite group of educators in a statement last week. "These six finalists and the other 34 regional Teachers of the Year are wonderful examples of our hard working Texas teachers who give their all every day and bring out the best in our public classrooms."

Mueller, however, isn’t letting the acclaim go to her head. In fact, "I guess I feel a little guilty," she told the Amarillo Globe-News. "I do what I love to do.

"Although my name might be receiving the recognition, this award truly represents many wonderful people — co-workers, administrators, mentors, parents, and most of all students, who continue to enrich my life by blessing me with theirs."

Mueller attributes her career satisfaction to the students, saying, "I just look at them, and I see such a miracle. Each one of them is so different."

Each student is different at the university level as well and, as Dr. Santin noted, "NCU is proud to have studentslike Vicki Mueller."