William Dressler, who earned his MEd in Educational Technology from the Department of Learning Design and Technology (LTEC), is a Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching recipient. He was awarded by the UH Board of Regents for exhibiting an extraordinary level of subject mastery and scholarship, teaching effectiveness and creativity, and personal values that benefit students.

“I believe students are whole people first, and when life throws challenges their way, my job is to support them with compassion while helping them to keep moving toward their goals,” Dressler said. “I feel honored to have my work recognized with this award. I am lucky to be able to play the role that I do helping students realize their dreams.”

A student success coordinator at Kauaʻi Community College, Dressler teaches first year experience courses, including Introduction to College, Career Planning, and Financial Literacy, as well as manages new student orientation.

“Will was in one of our first online master’s cohorts soon after we started the program,” said LTEC Professor Michael Menchaca. “His dedication and participation from Kauaʻi helped substantiate our department’s commitment to serving all of Hawaiʻi. His final project creating a web-based tutorial to assist Kauaʻi Community College faculty with student assessment showed his dedication to both students and instructors alike.That devotion is now further evidenced by this award and not at all a surprise.”

Dressler’s leadership with the UH Urgent Student Relief Fund during COVID is one of the projects that made him a standout for this recognition. He led a team that reviewed all of the applications, managed communication with students, and coordinated with the college’s business office to make payments to hundreds of students experiencing financial hardship due to COVID.