Recommendation Statements
Individuals have had a deep impact on my professional and personal life over the years. I have tried hard to assist others to accomplish their goals and to reach closer to their own potential. In many cases we have touched each others' lives. This page acknowledges good and kind people who have provided recommendation statements on my behalf. They address my teaching, my leadership, and my character. Although I am grateful for the faculty recommendations, I'm frequently moved by my students and their observations.
This page contains the following:
This page contains the following:
- Reference List
- Faculty Recommendation Statements
- Student Recommendation Statements
Reference List
The following individuals have agreed to write formal letters of recommendations endorsing me and my abilities.
Patty Scott
President Southwestern Oregon Community College 1988 Newmark Avenue Coos Bay, OR 97420 541-888-7401 [email protected] Daniel Koopman
Instructional Dean Career Technical Education Southwestern Oregon Community College 1988 Newmark Avenue 541-888-7312 Coos Bay, OR 97420 [email protected] |
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Mike Herbert
Athletic Director Southwestern Oregon Community College 1988 Newmark Avenue Coos Bay, OR 97420 541-888-7208 [email protected] |
Ross Tomlin
President Tillamook Bay Community College 4301 Third Street Tillamook, OR 97141 503-842-1015 [email protected] |
Former Reference List
The following individuals have in the past agreed to write formal letters of recommendations endorsing me and my abilities. Because of time and retirement, these individuals are no longer current references.
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Faculty Recommendation Statements
Student Recommendation Statements
John Brassell
"As a TA for Brother Keller, I spent a semester outlining and creating case studies out of the Marine’s 14 guiding attributes of leadership. Brother Keller presented these lessons to the class, fostering and encouraging the application of these traits into each student’s personal life. I found this approach innovative and refreshing. The qualities we discussed coincided with the purpose of BYU-Idaho in creating disciples of Jesus Christ. It was a new way to understand the leadership training we receive at this university. With encouragement from Brother Keller, I spent hours working on each trait, striving to understand it perfectly and then prayerfully developed case studies with examples that might be applicable to students.
"This extensive project was the center of most of my conversations with Brother Keller. As we brought these lesson plans into the classroom, I witnessed a desire in students to apply these qualities into their lives as Disciples of Christ. The project proved productive as students responded so well. "The 14 traits listed below help were structured to help Marines earn the respect, confidence, loyalty, and cooperation of other Marines. This is something that would benefit us as members of the church. As someone who spent long hours studying these traits and striving to understand their comprehensive meaning, I search them out in individuals I meet and find them readily and abundantly in Rod Keller." See John Brassell's full recommendation letter. Maggie Franz
“Rod Keller is a professor whose instruction stays with you both professionally and personally, long after graduation. Each lesson was taught with the intention to encourage the student to think and apply. His teaching philosophy was, for me, as effective as it was thoughtful. I know I'm not alone when I say he was one of my favorite and most influential professors. I would recommend his skill to deans and students alike.”
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Brett Marshall
“I have known Rod for seven years and have interacted with him both
professionally and personally. While I was a student at Brigham Young
University-Idaho, I had several English classes from Rod. I also worked
as his teaching assistant for five semesters while he was the Dean of
the College of Language and Letters. During this time I was able to
observe him in the classroom and in his capacity as a leader. I have
come to believe that Rod Keller is one of the finest educators and
individuals I have ever known. For the following reasons, I would
wholeheartedly and without reservation recommend Rod for any academic
teaching or leadership position.
As a teacher, Rod has command over the subject matter he is teaching. He
is always prepared and organized, preparing detailed lesson plans in
advance. He presents material enthusiastically and is always looking for
new and inventive ways to teach the material and instill in his
students a desire to learn. Rod sets high expectations for himself and
his students. He believes that every student he teaches can and will be
successful. For those students that struggle, Rod is patient and
persistent. He is able to adapt his teaching style to match the pace and
learning capacities of all his students. These characteristics combine
with Rod’s inherent ability to connect on a personal level with his
students. He is warm, caring, enthusiastic, and accessible in and
outside of the classroom. With his technical proficiency as a teacher
and his genuine concern for the complete education of his students, it
is no wonder that Rod’s classes are always full and that he is
consistently one of the most popular teachers on the Brigham Young
University-Idaho campus.
In addition to being a wonderful teacher, Rod is an adept leader. As a
leader, Rod has vision and always begins with the end in mind. To
accomplish his vision, Rod leads by example, and inspires others to
follow. While he is dedicated in pursuing a decided course, Rod is
always open to new ideas. He withholds judgment until he has thoroughly
considered every aspect of an issue. After considering an issue he is
decisive while respecting the views of those with competing interests by
making fair and impartial decisions. Rod is admired and respected among
his colleagues. He is often consulted to help solve difficult problems
and consistently provides sage advice. Above all, Rod has honor and
integrity; he is honest in both his professional and personal life; he
is morally courageous.
In short, we need more educators like Rod Keller.
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Cat Conner
"I took English 450 from Brother Keller and I found a class and a professor that truly embody what I believe is BYU-Idaho’s ultimate academic goal: to create spiritual and productive individuals who can thrive in a growing and changing economy. Rod Keller seeks out knowledge beyond what is required of him to teach and challenges his students with that extra knowledge so they feel like they can function in their coursework and future careers. His lessons were applicable and meaningful. I didn’t feel like I was learning something I wasn’t going to or didn’t want to use. Moreover, Brother Keller graded us fairly based on a realistic and challenging scale. If I got an A, I had to work for it, and I had to prove that my work could have results beyond my final grade. In all of his lessons, I know Brother Keller had the students’ best interests at heart. I only spent one semester in Brother Keller’s class, but over a year later he could still remember who I was and the quality of work I could do. I’ve thrived in most of my classes, but I only felt challenged by a select few teachers at BYU-Idaho and Brother Keller was one of them. I did some of my best work in his class because I wanted to be a better scholar and a better person, and few teachers have instilled that kind of determination in me."
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Michael Kemp
"Brother Keller is just that. He is without a doubt the best man I know. I had three classes with him, and even in the big classes, he had everyone’s name down by the end of the first class. He loved his students and noticed them and how they were doing. He even noticed when I got new shoes. He knew my work ethic and asked me how I was doing if he noticed that my grades or performance was slipping. When I was having a particularly hard time, he asked if he could be my academic advisor to make sure that everything was okay.
"Brother Keller is the most Christ-like person I know. And he is an excellent teacher with a passion for his work and for his students. He is, as I stated before, the best man I know. He is my hero, and he is the kind of person that I wish I could be." |