Jeff Grossman (right) poses for a photo with his daughter, Kara Grossman, son, Brett Grossman, and granddaughters, Sadie and Maya Grossman, after accepting his Excellence in Education award from Michigan State University basketball coach Tom Izzo.

An Ingham Intermediate School District educator known for helping his students develop the skills they’ll need to succeed in the workplace as well as helping them master welding technology has been honored with an Excellence in Education award from the Michigan Lottery.

The award winner, Jeff Grossman, is a welding technology instructor at the Capital Area Career Center in Mason.  The Career Center is operated by the Ingham Intermediate School District. At the Career Center, Grossman – an educator for more than four decades – teaches welding technology to high school juniors and seniors. He also is a welding technology instructor at Lansing Community College.

The Michigan Lottery established the Excellence in Education awards in 2014 to recognize outstanding public school educators across the state during the school year.

Winners of the weekly award receive a plaque, a $500 cash prize, and a $500 grant to their classroom, school or school district.  One of the weekly winners will be selected as the Educator of the Year and will receive a $10,000 cash prize.

Each winner also is featured in a news segment on the Lottery’s media partner stations:  WXYZ-TV in Detroit, FOX 17 in Grand Rapids, and FOX 47 in Lansing. The news segment featuring Grossman will air this evening in Grand Rapids and Lansing and then on Thursday in Detroit.

For the Excellence in Education awards program, the Lottery has teamed up with Michigan State University basketball coach Tom Izzo, who recently presented Grossman with the award at the Breslin Center.

Grossman said the outstanding teachers that he had in high school inspired him to pursue a career in education.  He added that his favorite part of being an educator is seeing students gain confidence in themselves as they master various welding skills and techniques.

“Students come to the career center because they want to learn and prepare themselves for their future, whether that is going directly into a career or post-secondary education. I get to help them learn and when they master a skill, we’re both happy,” he said.

A colleague nominated Grossman for the Excellence in Education award, saying that the “hands-on learning and the mentoring that he provides is beyond compare.”

Jeff Grossman talks with Michigan State University basketball coach, Tom Izzo, after accepting his Excellence in Education award.

“Mr. Grossman believes that all of his students deserve a chance to succeed in the program and he works with them to make that happen,” the nomination said.

“The students leave his program after two years with a wealth of knowledge that gives them a trade that they will have for life or help them pay for college after graduation.  He teaches them to work as a team and to have compassion and respect for one another. It makes me proud to work with someone with such great work ethic that, in turn, is instilled in his students.”

Grossman earned two degrees from Michigan State University:  a bachelor of science degree in industrial arts education and a master of arts in curriculum and instruction.  He has been an educator at the Capital Area Career Center for 42 years and also has served as an instructor at Lansing Community College for 38 years.

Excellence in Education award nominees are evaluated on the following criteria:

• Excellence – Their work consistently helps students and/or their schools or school districts advance to higher levels of academic achievement.
• Dedication – They consistently go above and beyond expectations to help students succeed.
• Inspiration – Their work inspires others around them to exceed expectations either academically or professionally.
• Leadership – They demonstrate clear leadership skills in their positions with their school or school districts.
• Effectiveness – The nominee’s work has clear and positive results on the educational advancement of students within the school or school district.