The true sign of an effective teacher is to make a positive and lasting mark on people’s lives. Without doubt, Jock Mackay, winner of the 2009-2010 Vanier College Teaching Excellence Award, has had a profound effect on his students and his colleagues during his long teaching career. In presenting Jock Mackay with this award at the Graduation Ceremony on June 20, 2010, Academic Dean, John McMahon, stated that Jock Mackay was nominated for his “enormous respect for students and belief in them to succeed; his invaluable mentoring of teachers, instilling in them sound values and pedagogy; his personal integrity and much appreciated sense of humour in difficult situations” and his commitment to the various programs and departments he has worked in.
“Professor Jock Mackay’s wisdom and tremendous heart always seem to bring out the best in his students,” says one of Jock’s current students. “To me he is more than a teacher: he is a mentor that makes me a better person, socially and intellectually.” According to a former student “Jock Mackay brought his students into the teaching process as partners as opposed to mere pupils. He was not only unique in the passion and zeal he brought to the classroom, but he was also one of the most accessible teachers I have ever learned from. This man has been instrumental in the development of the critical reflexes I draw on regularly to analyze human interaction in the various social settings in which I am active.”
Long-time colleague Doug Miller elaborates on what makes Jock Mackay such an impressive teacher. “He always strives for pedagogical innovation and adaptation to the students’ needs, continually rebuilding and innovating his courses to make them as accessible and relevant as possible to his students. He freely shares his ideas with his colleagues and happily acts as a mentor to the newer faculty.” This is particularly evident in Jock’s latest vocation: teaching Cegep teachers through the Performa Master Teacher Program. “My journeys with Jock as a close colleague have helped me view teaching from a thrilling and continuously evolving perspective,” indicates colleague Guy Quinn. “He engages us in the very kind of teaching we aspire to. You could call Jock a teacher’s teacher”.
Jock has left an edible mark on the Explorations Program where he found ways to get students at risk to develop academic skills and an attitude towards learning that gives them a true chance at success. Jock’s commitment to helping lower-achieving students is further manifest in his work as principal investigator of Complicated Lives, a study of at-risk students, co-written with Guy Quinn and Doug Miller.
Jock’s dedication to various college bodies is profound and goes well beyond the academic departments with which he is affiliated. During the more than thirty years Jock Mackay has taught Humanities and Sociology courses at Vanier, he has also been part of the Library Advisory and college committees of all sorts, and collaborated with Student Services, the Learning Centre, Physical Education and Academic Advising on a variety of projects. Jock also worked on the General Studies and Explorations Program evaluations and helped implement the Social Science Comprehensive Assessment.
“His leadership style is low key and soft-spoken, but effective because his sage interventions, patience and integrity have given him great credibility. He is consistently promoting new initiatives and pushing for change. Jock Mackay is a model of the kind of teacher who makes Vanier College a great place to learn and work,” concludes Doug Miller.
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