Teaching the knowledge and skills needed to enter an industry is important, but understanding how to function as a valued person within that industry, and within our larger society, can change lives. Professor Spitler understands that everyone that comes to Sandhills Community College has a unique life story, and that all such stories are woven with others through interactions to create a unique educational experience. The successful development of the whole person through student to advisor, student to faculty, student to mentor, and student to student interactions has been Professor Spitler’s passion since he began teaching in 1997.
Often, the first interaction that students have with a faculty member is when they are going through their first advising and registration period. Professor Spitler has a thorough understanding of his programs, and this understanding allows him to have positive interactions with students that result in their entering programs that truly excite them and fit their goals. Having started his educational journey at a North Carolina community college, Professor Spitler understands fully the emotional well being that is required to achieve educational goals on both the two-year and four-year levels. As a student, Professor Spitler experienced, either personally or through peers, the death of loved ones, the impact of poverty or financial hardship, the instability of family disputes, and many of the other barriers to education that cause so many students to give up. These experiences have given him a deep understanding of the emotional struggles that students encounter, and his experiences on campus as a faculty leader have provided him with a complete understanding of the campus support services that are available.
Student to faculty and student to student interactions are the most common social interactions on a community college campus. Professor Spitler uses these interactions to influence the motivation, emotional wellbeing and moral judgement of his students. Professor Spitler is an upbeat, positive role model for students. He finds inner strength and belief in helping others from his family (his mother was a developmental reading teacher), his religion (he is a Trustee at St. Luke United Methodist Church in Sanford), and from his volunteer work as a Boy Scout leader. He carries a positive attitude into discussions, and he enjoys sharing his passion for learning with his students. His attitude and passion, in turn, influence his students, and he reminds them often that he is proud to have started his educational journey at a community college.
Professor Spitler has exposed students to new experiences and perspectives while at the same time increasing the number of student to faculty, student to student, and student to mentor interactions in his program over the years. In 1999, he started an annual Experience Engineering Project, and in 2006, he started an Architectural, Engineering, Construction and Surveying student club on campus. Through the introduction of these initiatives, Professor Spitler provides students with a glimpse of the professional world they will enter. This experience allows for conversations on ethics and professionalism to take place in an open and honest manner in classes. Additionally, these initiatives have provided students with an opportunity for greater cultural understanding, and greater openness and tolerance to views through their travels and discussions with others.