Edustaff would like to congratulate George Ackerman-Behr on being named the Higher Education Employee of the Month for November 2025!
George has been teaching music appreciation and music history at Gogebic Community College for the past nine years, and has taught more than thirty classes for GCC. His classes are consistently full, and sometimes a second section is added to accommodate students. He was nominated for the honor by Debbie Janczak, director of Human Resources at the college.
“George is someone who cares about the students and their success,” she said. “He is open and comfortable enough to participate in GCC activities and functions, and supports the college through his actions. In his nine years of teaching, he is consistent in his course delivery to students.”
George said he likes to engage with his students, asking them what’s going on with their studies and suggesting topics for them to research for their term papers. This approach helps his students “get out of their shell and think differently,” he said.
He has also designed an online, asynchronous program that is helpful for the busy college students of today, who might hold two or more jobs while going to school. “I built it in such a way that it is accessible, and they have the ability to be successful,” he said.
George, who has a master’s degree in music, works as a minister of music when he’s not teaching. He plays the organ, tunes and restores organs, and directs adult choirs, children’s choirs, and a bell choir. In those roles, he has dealt with a variety of people and learning backgrounds, so he has experience learning to adapt to meet students’ needs.
In his spare time, George has a hobby farm, and enjoys canning and preserving food. And as a musician, he also does a lot of practicing, he said.
Thank you, George, for your dedication to the students at Gogebic Community College!
