Thursday, Jun 11, 2020
Terry Pertuit was one of the awards winners in 2020
by Keith Fernbach
Terry Pertuit, an associate professor in Rider University’s College of Education and Human Services, was named the recipient of the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award.
This award was established at Rider in 1961 to recognize faculty teaching excellence. Pertuit, along with Dr. Sheena Howard, was selected by the University Honors Council from nominations submitted by Rider students, faculty, and academic administration.
“To be recognized in this way is validating and I am deeply honored,” says Pertuit. “Yet, I’m humbled and energized by all that I learn from my students.”
Her commitment to helping students fulfill their potential was consistently cited by those who nominated her for the award. Some of the accolades include the following:
“She cares so deeply and does such incredible work to help people.”
“She is committed to seeing her students succeed through engaging classroom lessons, meaningful and insightful class discussions and real-world stories that are applicable to the field of both clinical and school counseling.”
“She is always looking to uplift her students and motivate them to do better in class and in the field, which is rare.”
“If every student had a professor like Dr. Pertuit, their passions would be ignited and they would be challenged not only academically but also personally.”
Pertuit, who teaches courses in clinical mental health and school counseling, has made it her mission to help people since long before she arrived at Rider. However, she originally envisioned herself forging her path through music rather than higher education.
“I started my career as a band director during a time when funding was being cut for the arts,” she explains. “I saw many talented and motivated young people struggling in the school environment, either academically or socially. Much of this was due to hindrances brought on by non-academic issues such as poverty, family issues, and mental health.”
She observed that for many of these children, the band room seemed to be the only place where they thrived. “As a first generation high school graduate, I really identified with this group,” she says. She noticed that many who were labeled as “failures” or “trouble makers” not only excelled as musicians, but also became leaders who earned respect from their band mates and became valuable members of the community.
She was able to connect with these students through music and teach them to better themselves in ways that couldn’t be communicated through traditional learning methods.
This experience left a deep impression on Pertuit, and after spending several years as a professional musician, she decided to make it her life’s work to help young people by leveling their playing field for success. She earned a master’s in counseling, and then spent ten years working with at-risk youth through university-housed programs including Educational Talent Search and Upward Bound.
Through these programs, she recruited counselors-in-training to further assist these young people’s personal and social needs. Training future counselors to better identify and advocate for youths who struggle with hidden barriers became extremely relevant for her, and inspired her to earn a doctorate in counselor education and supervision from Penn State University.
Pertuit’s commitment to helping vulnerable populations is reflected not only in her teaching, but in her research as well, which focuses primarily on students who struggle due to non-academic “hidden” barriers such as emotional, behavioral, gender and sexual orientation issues, family problems, and poverty.
She explains that this work is critically important because approximately one in five children and adolescents experience a significant mental health problem during their school years, and approximately 70% of those who need treatment will not receive appropriate services. Failure to address students’ needs is linked to poor academic performance, behavior problems, school violence, dropping out, substance abuse, special education referral, criminal activity, and suicide. “People who struggle with these problems often do so in silence,” she says.
Pertuit has also played a role in expanding the course offerings of Rider’s counseling program by developing a graduate-level course in "Disaster Response, Trauma, Crisis, and Grief Counseling." Her inspiration for creating the class came from her own experience assisting in the recovery efforts in her hometown of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.
The course examines the impact of crises, disasters and trauma on individuals, couples, families, and communities. It also looks at how to implement or evaluate emergency management plans in the community and on school campuses, and allows students to study several different models of disaster and trauma response, such as Psychological First Aid.
Reflecting on her career, Pertuit says she is grateful for the opportunity to have such a positive impact on aspiring counselors and the broader Rider community.
“I have a genuine passion for teaching,” she says. “I strive to lead each course with respect and integrity of delivering an inclusive learning environment, always hoping I’m making a difference in someone’s life. The popular Facebook meme: ‘Call me crazy but I love to see people happy and succeeding’ rings true for me. I love to help people to grow, and to be on a small part of that journey with them is a privilege.”