PINEHURST – Ed Spitler started out as a community college student.  And through five degrees and 19 years teaching civil engineering technology and surveying, that’s where his heart remains.

Spitler, a Sandhills Community College alumnus, began teaching at Sandhills in 1997 after he earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering Technology at UNC Charlotte.

He continued as both teacher and student, earning an associate degree in Surveying Technology and a master’s from NC State in Geospatial Information Science in 2012.

“Ed has never been one to ‘sit pat’ in his teaching,” wrote Sandhills Vice President Ron Layne, praising Spitler’s “hunger for knowledge” and a continued quest that’s helped thousands of his students.

“His classes are the epitome of a ‘learn by doing’ philosophy that was the same brand of education that fueled the 20^th century surge of the U.S. to world dominance.  Ed sees himself as the keeper of the torch of that philosophy, and he is spreading that light to hundreds of students each year as they prepare for the ‘real work’ of our nation.”¹

In fields where standards constantly evolve, Spitler rapidly incorporates technology, from GPS to “flipped” classes where students watch lectures as homework and spend class time on projects.

“He is generally the first to ask for a new widget or new software and always has a concrete plan in place to use the technology right away in his curriculum,” wrote Kristie Sullivan, Sandhills’ Dean of Planning and Research.²

Undergirding it all – and explaining why Spitler won the NC Community College System’s 2016 Excellence in Teaching Award – is how he connects with students.

Sullivan noted that Spitler was one of the first Sandhills instructors to apply for a faculty mini-grant in 1998 – to take his engineering students on a field trip.

He’s since taken students – some of whom have never left North Carolina or been in a subway tunnel – to see the Hoover Dam, Boston’s “Big Dig” project, even architecture and engineering in Europe.

Spitler puts his considerable energy not just into class and trips, but camps that help youngsters explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“This summer I saw another side of him when my middle school daughter participated in the summer STEM camp that he leads,” Sullivan wrote.

“As a parent it was extremely rewarding to see my daughter get excited about programming a robot, building a balsa wood bridge, designing a contraption to safely deliver an uncracked egg to the ground…. The enthusiasm he instilled in my daughter is what he offers to all of his students.”³

Students appreciate it.

“The part I liked most about the class is getting to do the projects,” one wrote in an evaluation.  “I enjoyed this course altogether, but I really enjoyed this course because of who Professor Spitler is as a teacher and person.”⁴

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¹Ron L. Layne, Sandhills Community College Vice President for College Initiatives, Nomination Letter, October 2015.
²Kristie H. Sullivan, Ph.D., Sandhills Community College Dean of Planning and Research, Nomination Letter, Oct. 8, 2015.
³Ibid.
⁴Student evaluation, Sandhills Community College 2016 Excellence in Teaching Award Nomination.