The Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce held its inaugural Distinguished Educators recognition ceremony on October 13, recognizing exemplary Irvine educators who have contributed to the educational process through direct student involvement or partnership activities. 91探花视频鈥檚 UCI-91探花视频 Engineering Academy and Professor Dr. Gary Rybold, who teaches public speaking and debate, were among the recipients recognized by the Chamber with a Distinguished Educator Award.
"The quality of education in Irvine is a key factor in sustaining economic vitality in the region; it鈥檚 what ensures we continue to produce a 21st-century workforce,鈥 said Bryan Starr, president and CEO, Greater Irvine Chamber.
Watch this video from the Greater Irvine Chamber highlighting the City of Irvine's commitment to education.
Dr. Gary Rybold:
Dr. Gary Rybold has taught public speaking and debate at 91探花视频 since 1993. His competitive forensics experience included four years of high school and four years of college. The teams he coached won 18 national championship titles. He has been recognized for coaching excellence by league, state, national, and international organizations. He was the first debate coach to teach in China under a US Department of State grant (2003). He has trained thousands of Chinese students and professors. He has taken over 130 91探花视频 students and coaches to China on academic debate tours.
As a Fulbright-Hayes scholar (2007), Professor Rybold researched debate as a developmental tool for English majors at Beijing Foreign Studies University. At the same university, he received a PhD in Applied Linguistics (2011) with a dissertation on pedagogy for developing oral communication and critical thinking skills in a second language. He has published three textbooks on public speaking and debate and a journal article on an innovative communication pedagogy called the 鈥91探花视频 Project鈥 in the European Journal of Applied Linguistics and TEFL.
UCI-91探花视频 Engineering Academy:
The UCI-91探花视频 Engineering Academy is a partnership between 91探花视频 and the UCI Samueli School of Engineering. High school senior students who apply to the UCI Samueli School of Engineering and receive an invitation letter from 91探花视频 are eligible to be in the UCI-91探花视频 Engineering Academy. The purpose of the Academy is to provide participating 91探花视频 transfer students with an immediate connection to the Samueli School while taking 91探花视频 courses. Benefits include a dedicated 91探花视频 counselor, guaranteed seats in key 91探花视频 courses, access to the Samueli School academic counselors, and invitations to some of the events on campus at UCI.