Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching
Teaching Medal Award Winner
Wendy Kuntz
Kapi‘olani
Wendy Kuntz is an assistant professor of biology and ecology at Kapi‘olani Community College.
Kuntz began at Kapi‘olani CC with a serious commitment to research and never planned to be a full-time teaching faculty. However, over a short time, the deep satisfaction of seeing students make personal connections between classroom learning and their lives helped to change her mind.
By encouraging students to be independent thinkers, Kuntz creates opportunities for students to take classroom instruction into the community and have students solve problems or conduct research in the community. This place-based learning allows students to meet face-to-face with real life concerns. To examine ecological issues, for example, Kuntz has established community partnerships with The Nature Conservancy and Malama Maunalua and creatively designs assignments to make her course in biology personal, meaningful and relevant. Kuntz is active in getting students involved in restoring Maunalua Bay by assisting in the removal of alien algae. She is also focused on sustainable traditional agriculture and wetland restoration. Finally, Kuntz provides Kapi‘olani’s students with real-world forest restoration experiences.
Her inspiration and dedication to her work proves noteworthy to her students and peers alike.
The Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching is awarded by the as tribute to faculty members who exhibit an extraordinary level of subject mastery and scholarship, teaching effectiveness and creativity and personal values that benefit students. The board also awards the Regents’ Medal for and links to archives.
