JOE CORTINA earned his B.A. degree in English from San Diego State University and his master's degree and doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction in reading from the University of North Texas. He has taught undergraduate teacher education courses in reading at the University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University. In 1981 he was selected to represent the Dallas County Community College District as a nominee for the Piper Award for Teaching Excellence. In addition, Dr. Cortina was selected as his divisions nominee for Richland's Excellence in Teaching Award in 1987, 1988 and 1993. In 1992 he was selected as an honored alumnus by the Department of Elementary, Early Childhood and Reading Education, of the University of North Texas and in 1994 he was a recipient of an Excellence Award given by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development. In addition to teaching reading courses at Richland College, he has served on interdisciplinary teaching teams for honors English courses and has served as a faculty leader of Richland's writing-across-the-curriculum program. Dr. Cortina has served on the conference program committees for both the College Reading and Learning Association and the National Association for Developmental Education. He has also served as a member of the editorial advisory board of The Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. He is a frequent speaker at professional meetings and inservice workshops.
