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December 18, 2003Clifford Vrieze Earns ACTE Teacher of the Year AwardNEWS RELEASE from ACTE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CLIFFORD VRIEZE EARNS ACTE TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARD ALEXANDRIA, VA- The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) announces that Clifford Vrieze of Truman, Minnesota, was recognized as the ACTE Teacher of the Year. Mr. Vrieze received the award at the ACTE Annual Convention and Career Tech Expo on December 11th in Orlando, Florida. Recipients of this award are recognized for providing their communities with outstanding career and technical education programs. The award winner, selected by the ACTE Awards Committee, must have made significant contributions toward innovative, unique and novel programs that are serving to improve and promote career and technical education. Mr. Vrieze has instructed Farm Business Management (FBM) courses at Minnesota West Community and Technical College at Jackson, Minnesota, since 1986. The program, with an annual enrollment of 50 students, is based on a comprehensive educational curriculum for adult farmer entrepreneurs. The mission of the program is to provide student focused education to assist them in meeting their family and farm business goals. Mr. Vrieze designs a "case study" for each individual student where the farm family's actual personal, family, business and financial situation and goals determine the instruction plan. The student's study concentrates on accurate computerized accounting, income tax optimization and budgeting. The students use state-of-the-art software specially designed and set up for their specific farming requirements. At the FBM program, Mr. Vrieze and fellow instructors Robert Roesler and Larry Griffin have cooperated with area banks, farm service agencies, local school districts and the University on Minnesota in order to better meet their students' needs. During his tenure at the college, three area banks have awarded over $30,000 in annual scholarships to his students within the FBM program. He has also worked with the Center for Farm Financial Management over the years to beta test new software programs and improve existing programs. In addition to his duties as an instructor, Mr. Vrieze is also active in his community. He has served on the local school board and he is a past president of the Minnesota Association of Agricultural Educators as well as the Minnesota ACTE. The Association for Career and Technical Education is the national professional association for the field of career and technical education. Now in its 77th year, ACTE's membership numbers more than 30,000 teachers, counselors and administrators at the middle school, high school and postsecondary levels. ### # # # |
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