SUNY WESTCHESTER NEWS Faculty Excellence Award Winner, Dr. Heather Ostman Dr. Ostman began her career in the English Department at SUNY WCC in 2008, bringing vast amounts of enthusiasm, creativity, and a deep commitment to the community college field. “If you want to learn to be a good teacher, teach at a community college. You will grow in ways you never imagined as a teacher, scholar and a human being. There is no calling more satisfying. These students deserve the very best, and we must bring our very best selves to the task.” Dr. Heather Ostman Dr. Ostman quickly became known as an engaging and dedicated professor and colleague, delivering thought-provoking lectures and workshops, and securing writer-in-residence opportunities for students and faculty. The history of her service to the college tells a story of leadership with compassion, innovation, deep respect for her students, and joy in what she does. When asked about her SUNY Westchester experience, Dr. Ostman opens with, “Community college is the most emblematic institution of a functioning democracy. I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.” In addition to her responsibilities in the classroom, Dr. Ostman has filled an impressive number of roles at SUNY WCC including, but not limited to, Acting Chair and Assistant Chair of the English Department, Curriculum Chair of the Liberal Arts and Sciences Humanities Program, Presiding Officer of the Faculty Senate and Faculty Senate Vice President, and two times as Interim Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs. Heather serves as the Director of the SUNY WCC Humanities Institute, which was funded in 2012 by a $300,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant. The WCC Foundation double-matched the grant, and that $900,000 endowment benefits students, faculty, and community members to this day. Dr. Ostman also won the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities. She holds a B.A. in Literature from SUNY Purchase College, and a M.A. in English from CUNY Lehman College. Dr. Ostman’s record of service goes beyond the college. She is founder and president of the Kate Chopin International Society and an active Modern Language Association member currently serving on the advocacy committee. She has published numerous scholarly articles and book chapters and is the author/editor of ten books, mostly on nineteenth-century American literature as well as writing pedagogy. Her 11th book, Kate Chopin Around the World, will be published by Bloomsbury later this year. Dr. Ostman is devoted to helping students succeed in the classroom and in life, empowering them to find and share their voice. The Westchester Community College Foundation was thrilled to recognize Dr. Heather Ostman with the 2023 Faculty Excellence Award for Service. FACULTY SPOTLIGHT 9
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