LTCC Teachers Honored for Excellence

Lake Tahoe Community College English instructor Michael O’Laughlin and Sociology/Anthropology instructor Dr. Scott Lukas have both been honored for their outstanding work in the classroom. O’Laughlin was selected by LTCC students as their Teacher of the Year, and Dr. Lukas was chosen by his fellow faculty members as the Distinguished Faculty Award recipient. The winners will each personally receive $500 thanks to a generous donation by the LTCC Foundation. They’ll also each get to direct another $500 towards the LTCC program or scholarship or classroom materials of their choice.
O’Laughlin has been a full-time English instructor at LTCC since 1996. Before that, he taught as an adjunct instructor at LTCC for 3 years. He earned his M.F.A at the University of Iowa, home of the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop. He’s a published author who won a Henfield Award in 1992 for his short story, “The Diorite Whales.” He also published a novel, “Omens in a Dry Season: A Novel of Yosemite,” in 2001.

These days, the focus is on spending time with his family and developing his teaching skills. O’Laughlin primarily teaches ENG101: Reading and Composition, and ENG103: Critical Reasoning. These classes are the foundation of college writing, which puts O’Laughlin in touch with many of the students who come to LTCC, regardless of their major. “Students tell me all the time, ‘I never liked literature before!’” says O’Laughlin. “It’s my enthusiasm and passion for literature that they’re responding to, regardless of whether they ever felt a connection to it before or not. No matter what their background, I tell my students: give me you, and I’ll help you become a better writer.”

O’Laughlin’s absolute passion for teaching was primarily inspired by two people: the Pulitzer-prize winning writer James Alan McPherson (one of his teachers at the University of Iowa), and former LTCC English faculty member Lee Thiel, who moved on to American Feather River College and is now retired. “Working with them, I just knew…I wanted a life in education and writing. I knew I wanted to be in the classroom. I’ve adopted their openness and their authentic interest in students.” O’Laughlin plans on using his award to purchase a number of class-related DVDs, and maybe a tablet for himself to help keep current with the technology his students are using themselves.

Dr. Lukas has been teaching Anthropology and Sociology at LTCC since 1998. Before that, he taught at Valparaiso University for two years, and was a visiting professor in American Studies at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany this past summer. He earned his PhD in Anthropology from Rice University, writing his dissertation about the American theme park industry. That’s a particular interest he continues to explore - Dr. Lukas is the author and editor of six books, including “The Immersive Worlds Handbook: Designing Theme Parks and Consumer Spaces,” and “Theme Park,” which was just released in Arabic. In addition to being a published writer, Dr. Lukas also appeared in the documentary “The Nature of Existence,” and has been interviewed in his area of expertise by Wisconsin Public Radio, the Washington Post, and the Daily Beast.

All of the research, writing, and studying Dr. Lukas does outside of the classroom is what he feels might have helped him win the Distinguished Faculty award with so many other deserving faculty members nominated. “Perhaps it was my efforts to publish in the field and stay current in the disciplines I teach? Plus, I’m pretty active in trying to share ideas about my teaching and research in local and national media,” he says.

As to why he chose to teach at a community college, Dr. Lukas says, “I liked the idea of teaching students who have been typically denied opportunities in life, including education, and it seemed like a place to really focus on the value of a broad social science education.” Dr. Lukas says he doesn’t quite know yet how he’ll spend his award, but says he’s “been wanting to get a few new books related to my research.”