Part-time humanities Professor Caitlin Luetger has gained a reputation as one of College of DuPage’s best teachers. This reputation has come to fruition as Luetger was named the recipient of this year’s outstanding part-time faculty award.

Luetger was selected by a committee of high standing individuals at the college because of her unwavering support to both COD and its students. Thomas Fate, committee member and faculty member, spoke of Luetger’s teaching values and methods.

“Caitlin Luetger is a gifted and dedicated teacher who has shown a remarkable commitment to her students and the college,” Fate wrote in an email.

Luetger explains that as a teacher, she feels her role is to not only be an educator, but to be a resource to her students now and in the future. She feels honored to be the recipient of the award.

“I honestly didn’t think that I would be selected for the award,” said Luetger. “There are so many incredible educators that work at this school and who do great things for our students, and they are so deserving of praise and applause.

“This is just a huge honor. It feels good to know that you’ve made a positive impact on someone else’s life.”

Luetger bases each class on discussion. She intertwines current events and day-to-day life into each lesson, helping students shape their education with knowledge they have gained previously.

As a student of both Luetger’s humanities 1102 and 1110 classes, Kevin Minaltoski has gotten a taste of every teaching style Luetger has to offer.

“I loved both classes I took with her,” Minaltoski wrote in an email. “I looked forward to going to humanities because we were always discussing interesting stuff as a class. It was an enjoyable experience because she allowed us to participate openly, without being afraid of holding back our opinions.”

COD student Samantha Salerno, also a member of two of Luetger’s classes, believes the outstanding faculty member is different from any other teacher on campus.

“Her class was awesome,” Salerno wrote in an email. “She created a bond between the class that made for a very comfortable environment. There was lots of discussion in the class and no one was afraid to state their opinions. Intelligent comments were said because everyone respected each other, despite their differences.”

Both students believe that Luetger deserves the award. They spoke of her dedication and overall desire to get to know her students on a personal level. Salerno even describes her as “extremely different from any teacher she has ever had.”

Luetger will use the award to motivate herself as an educator and stay true to what she believes.

“I think this award will serve as a reminder to stay true to what works for me in the classroom and to not give up if something I try falls flat or if I feel like I’ve fallen into a rut.”

Luetger lives up to her reputation in the way that she speaks about COD as a whole. With a new award under her belt, Luetger will continue bringing her positive and caring attitude to COD humanities students.

“COD is the greatest,” said Luetger. “I know there is a stigma some people hold against community colleges, but I cannot say enough times how great this school is. The faculty and staff are fantastic. The students are incredible—they’re motivated, they have all of these great ideas and opinions to share, and they continuously challenge me to be the best that I can be as an educator.”