Students are the link between the dreams of today and the opportunities of tomorrow, said Dr. Terrence L. Freeman, professor of mechanical engineering at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley and a transitional-education consultant.
At STLCC, Freeman aims to help his students achieve the “dreams they have not yet imagined,” he said.
“There is untapped potential human energy in all of our communities,” Freeman said, “and it is in those communities that we need to metaphorically dig wells, frack, build pipelines and refineries and pursue all methods of releasing that potential. Diversity, inclusion and innovation are unlimited renewables – potential game changers.”
Aside from teaching at STLCC since 1982, Freeman helped develop the Minority Engineering Transfer Program – a partnership connecting Emerson, Missouri S & T and St. Louis Community College. Established in 1988, this scholarship and mentoring program has served over 200 underrepresented community college students in the engineering discipline. Over 90 percent of the students who transferred to Missouri S&T graduated.
“Dr. Freeman stands as an icon to St. Louis Community College’s ongoing efforts towards excellence,” said Dr. Joseph Worth, vice president of student affairs at the Florissant Valley campus. “He has served with the college in almost every capacity possible relative to diversity and inclusion.”
For seven years, he served as an adviser to the president on multicultural affairs. He also coordinated Project Chart to encourage underrepresented students to pursue careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. On top of it all, Freeman is a motivational speaker, author and third degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
On September 12, Freeman will receive the 2014 Stellar Performer in Education award by the St. Louis American Foundation at its 27th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship & Awards Gala, to be held at the America’s Center Ballroom. The gala will begin at 7 p.m., following a reception at 6 p.m.
“I can’t think of anyone in the education arena who has made such an impact as Dr. Terry Freeman,” said Ruby Curry, interim president at STLCC–Florissant Valley.
As coordinator of engineering science at the Florissant Valley campus, Freeman not only teaches, but also develops courses and programs and advises students. He is also the chapter advisor for the National Society of Black Engineers student club. This is how former student Alexandria Merritt first met Freeman 14 years ago.
“To say that Dr. Freeman is a great professor is an understatement,” said Merritt, a former Emerson Scholar at STLCC Florissant Valley. “He is much more. He is a coach, a mentor and a friend. He not only provided me with academic content, but he quietly reinforced and instilled in me the belief that I have what it takes to become whatever I desire.”
Freeman believes, “engineering may well be the liberal arts degree of the twenty-first century.” He said engineering develops transferrable success skills such as: passion, high energy, curiosity, critical and creative thinking, problem solving and teamwork skills. And he works to emphasis these skills in his teaching style, he said.
Unlike Merritt’s other professors, Freeman stressed interpersonal skills as strongly as the technical engineering skills, she said. Now as a manufacturing consultant for General Mills North America, she said she uses Freeman’s lessons to be a strong leader for her team.
“My strongest assets are mentoring and motivating students to succeed in unpredictable interactive environments,” Freeman said.
Sana Naghipour, an engineer with Qualcomm Technologies Inc. in California, met Freeman in 2007. As an immigrant new to the United States, she struggled with her studies and college life, she said. With Freeman’s encouragement, she overcame the challenges at the community college and went on to graduate from Washington University.
“He believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself,” she said. “Dr. Freeman has made a great impact on his many students in the STLCC. He goes above and beyond to motivate first-generation college students and his support continues after graduation.”
Beyond office hours, all of his students have his home and cell phone number. His colleagues recognize that is usually one of the last professors to leave the building, said Frank Mack, an adjunct professor at Florissant Valley.
“He carries a heavy schedule most of the day and into the evening, but readily engages in sharing and discussing new knowledge and insight with his colleagues when his time allows,” Mack said.
Teaching wasn’t at the forefront of his mind when Freeman graduated with honors from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a bachelor’s degree and from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with his master’s in mechanical engineering. He went on to serve as a research engineer for Western Electric and Ralston Purina Co. and as senior project engineer for Mallinckrodt, Inc.
He said he “stumbled” into education after seeing STLCC’s ad for a mechanical engineering professor at Florissant Valley.
“I had thought about teaching, but I had no real experience outside of tutoring, teaching Sunday school, and roller skating at Skate King,” he said. “It was actually at Skate King that I began developing some of my educational philosophy thanks to Mathew Foggy. I applied, received an offer and took the leap to see if it could be as rewarding as I imagined. And it exceeded all my expectations.”
Freeman was named the 2013 Missouri Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education – selected from more than 350 top professors in the United States.
“So much of what I have been able to do is because of support and collaboration with others,” he said. “The things I relish most are the times that I have been able to bring some vision and change to an organization or activity.”
He completed his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with concentration in Higher Education Administration at the University of Missouri at St. Louis.
Freeman has led many outreach and retention efforts throughout his tenure at the college. He helped develop the 21st century Youth Development Summer Program for area high school students, in partnership with local municipalities. He participated in the writing of the African-American Male Initiative grant and on the search committees to hire the initial coordinators. He later led training for the first group of peer mentors.
“We can send more students to college and post-secondary experiences – we can graduate more students from college and we can make sure that our communities are well represented by people with B.S., M.S. or Ph.D. behind their names,” he said. “These are challenging times, not impossible times, and engineers rise to the challenge.”
The 2014 Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship & Awards Gala will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, September 12 at the America’s Center Ballroom, following a reception at 6 p.m. Tickets are on sale now. Individual tickets are $85 each/$850 table, and VIP/Corporate tickets are $1,500 table. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.stlamerican.com and click on Salute to Excellence, or call 314-533-8000.
