Professor awarded for teaching excellence

SUNY Orange psychology professor Christine Henderson was recently presented with the 2023 State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

The Chancellor’s Award is the highest honor regularly bestowed upon community college personnel within the State University of New York.

College president Dr. Kristine Young announced Henderson’s award during the end-of-year College Assembly.

“Christine is tremendously deserving of this award. She is an exceptional professor who is among the most student-oriented people in our College community,” Young said. “She is thoughtful in her approaches to both educating and mentoring students. She is respected by her colleagues and students, and is appreciated for her cheerful and compassionate personality. She is generous of her time and has contributed greatly to the teaching and learning environment at SUNY Orange.”

Henderson is concluding her 15th year at SUNY Orange, having first joined the College as an adjunct instructor within the Behavioral Sciences Department in August 2008. She was hired as a full-time instructor in August 2011 and has ascended to the rank of associate professor. In 2017 she assumed the added administrative role as Human Services Program coordinator, which she held until this past December.

She teaches a variety of psychology courses such as General Psychology I, General Psychology II, Psychology of Adjustment, Introduction to Psychology, Child Psychology and Developmental Psychology. She also teaches courses within the College’s Honors Program, including Honors Introduction to Psychology, Honors Seminar: Your Brain on Nature, and Honors Service Learning. While serving as Human Services coordinator, Henderson was an academic and career advisor for current and potential students in the program, coordinated and secured field placements, and served as the College’s liaison with local mental health agencies.

She is also an active member of the College community, serving on the Information Technology Advisory Board and the Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) Accessibility Committee. She is a faculty advisor to students and has developed Open Educational Resources (OER) materials for several of our courses in order to help her students access no-cost or low-cost alternatives to text books. She has also been a leader of the College’s Kindness Initiative, which encourages faculty, staff and students to show kindness to others, particularly to new students to help them acclimate to college life.

Henderson earned an associate’s degree from SUNY Orange before acquiring a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Adelphi University and a master’s degree from the University of Phoenix. She also has earned a graduate certificate in teaching and learning with emerging technologies from SUNY Empire.