A Montgomery County Community College part-time faculty member was recognized at Commencement for his stellar work in the classroom. Management Senior Lecturer Tom Costello Jr. was named a recipient of the 2023 Part-Time Faculty Teaching Excellence Awards, presented by the eCampus Bookstore. Psychology Senior Lecturer Susan Lawrence also received an award.

Teaching excellence awards recognize part-time faculty whose teaching is intellectually stimulating, accessible for all students, and demonstrates a commitment to the well-being of students both inside and outside of the classroom. Part-time faculty, who have attained the rank of regular or senior lecturer no later than the beginning of the academic year in which the award is conferred and are in good standing with the College at the time of nomination, are eligible for the part-time award.

Costello joined the Montco family in 2006 and teaches marketing and business management.

“It’s humbling,” he said of the award. “Sometimes when you teach, you leave at the end of the day, and you feel like you didn’t accomplish anything. If there’s 25 students in the class, maybe two will fill out a faculty survey, maybe a handful. And I’m grateful for that handful.”

Costello was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and now lives in Radnor. He holds a BEE from Villanova University and an MBA in management from Widener University. Following an 18-year stint at PECO as a field engineer, he became national sales and marketing manager at GHR Systems, before becoming director of marketing at R & A Engineering.

In 2010, he launched the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Joy of Sox, which provides joy and health for those experiencing homelessness by giving them new socks. The mission has three components 1) collecting donations and grants to purchase socks], 2) conducting sock drives [to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless], and 3) distributing the socks to those experiencing homelessness. As of June 1, the Joy of Sox has distributed 958,638 pairs of new socks in 34 states and 11 countries.

“By the fall, our goal is to distribute our 1 millionth pair of socks,” he said. “That’s a lot of socks. And if you put all those socks end-to-end, they would reach from Blue Bell to Toronto, of from Blue Bell to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.”

He started teaching at MCCC almost by accident. He was attending a Main Line Chamber of Commerce meeting and sat next to Montco’s former dean of business, who talked about the College’s need for a management instructor.

“I said, ‘I can do that,’” said Costello. Given his extensive background in business and previous experience in teaching in higher education, Costello applied and got the job.

Fast forward nearly 20 years since then, he said he admires the diversity of students who enter his classroom.

“Montco students are down to earth and hard-working,” he said. “Some of them are working full-time and trying to raise a family. I enjoy having the 18-year-old and the 65-year-old in my classes. It’s wonderful. The 18-year-old says, ‘I know everything.’ The 65-year-old will then say, ‘Can I share this with you?’ They both learn, which is delightful.”

In his classes, he tries to help students understand how what they’re studying has practical applications in the business world. For example, in one of his classes recently, the topic of Netflix no longer allowing users to share passwords came up.

“I’ll say ‘What do you think? Is sharing passwords stealing?’” he said. “Now we’re discussing ethics. It opens so many eyes.”

His students appreciate his efforts, too. At Commencement, Dr. Chae Sweet, Vice President for Academic Affairs, read from some of the student nominations for Costello to receive the teaching excellence award.

“He is a fantastic teacher and truly wants to teach the students,” she said. “He goes the extra mile. Not only is he available for students, but when there are life things that come up, he truly cares about the whole student and checks on them to see how they are doing.”

“With class participation, he wants the students to get involved, and put effort into the class, which makes it fun for everyone,” Dr. Sweet continued. “He also relates everything to real life situations, which helps students retain the information so much easier.”

Costello was flattered by the kind words.

“Again, it’s humbling,” he said. “Ever taught a class? Sometimes when you teach all you see are blank faces. Once in a while, a student will say ‘I get it! That’s what you mean.’ There’s an impact there. What I hear from those student comments is, hopefully I’m making an impact, making some positive change in their life.”