RCBC Geologist Turned Dental Hygienist Wins Statewide Award

A Rowan College at Burlington County alumna has gone from geologist to dental hygienist and received a statewide award for student mentorship, the college announced.

Faith Zimnes, of Bordentown, will receive the 2017 Mary Jane Kellogg Dutton Faculty Mentorship Award at the New Jersey Dental Hygienists' Association's annual conference on Oct. 28.

The award is given to a faculty person in New Jersey who demonstrates a commitment to the future of the dental hygiene profession and provides outstanding service to students. A panel of judges selects the winner from a group that was nominated by students. Along with the nominating letter from the students, the judges select a winner based on director recommendations.

“As an alumna, Faith Zimnes is an example of the transformative power of Rowan College at Burlington County, and as an instructor she is representative of the excellent faculty we have,” Acting President Michael Cioce said. “She has earned the respect and admiration of her students. We are proud to have faculty like Faith preparing our students for the future of healthcare.”

“I feel that Faith was the best candidate for this award because she is real. She was so easy to talk to, very easy to communicate with, and real in the aspect of truly caring about her students and our education,” recent Rowan College at Burlington County dental hygiene graduate Joanna Maul said. “I knew I could always go to her with an issue or a personal struggle with school and talk with her, she would always know the right thing to say. She was always so willing to help because she cared and it showed.”

Maul has been working as a dental assistant for the past 20 years. Once her dental hygiene license arrives in the mail, she can be hired as a hygienist.

Zimnes worked as a geologist for more than a decade. The job included extensive travel.

“I wanted a career where I could be home more often, but serve the public and still be in science,” Zimnes said. “I love working with our students, and I continue to work clinically as a dental hygienist. It is an especially exciting year at RCBC as we begin teaching in the new Health Sciences Center and dental hygiene clinic.”

In addition to her dental hygiene associate degree from Rowan College at Burlington County, she also has an associate degree in biology from Mercer County Community College, a Bachelor of Science in Geoscience from The College of New Jersey, a Dental Assistant Certificate of Proficiency from Lake Washington Technical College in Kirkland, WA, and a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration and Leadership from Capella University.

She served as an adjunct instructor at Rowan College at Burlington County from 2013 to 2016, before being hired full-time in August of last year.

Rowan College at Burlington County recently unveiled its new state-of-the-art Health Sciences Center. As part of the campus transformation and transition from the Pemberton Campus, the college moved all of the Health Sciences programs to the center, including nursing, dental hygiene, imaging, and health information management courses, as well as the Virtua Paramedic Science at RCBC program. For information on other Celebration of Transformation events, visit rcbc.edu/celebration.

The attached image was provided by Rowan College at Burlington County: Rowan College at Burlington County dental hygiene faculty member Faith Zimnes, the 2017 Mary Jane Kellogg Dutton Faculty Mentorship Award recipient, works with senior Rowan College at Burlington County dental hygiene student Jessica Scanlon in Rowan College at Burlington County’s new dental hygiene clinic at the Mount Laurel Campus.