Juliann McIntosh Blackmon

Higher Aspirations

Juliann McIntosh Blackmon
Professor, Deerwood Center

Juliann McIntosh Blackmon might have been new to campus when she joined the faculty of Florida Community College as a reading professor in 1990, but she wasn’t new to education. Her resume already reflected 20 successful years as an educator in Florida, South Carolina, California and Virginia – states where her husband, Barry, had been stationed when he was a Marine.

Teaching came quite naturally to Blackmon. Her mother taught elementary school and was later a guidance counselor in Jacksonville. Her father had an equally significant effect on her. “He instilled in us the importance of always trying to do better,” she says. As a tribute to them, she has kept McIntosh in her name.

Her parents’ goal in life was to make sure their six children received an education. Her top choice had been Spelman College in Atlanta. But shortly after her acceptance letter arrived, she learned there was no dorm space; she would need to find an apartment in the city. Her parents quickly ended that notion.

So in 1971, Blackmon earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach. Today, she’s thankful she didn't head for Georgia because she strongly believes the smaller institution offered her much more.

She went on to earn two master’s degrees from Pepperdine University in California.

Her education continues at Florida Community College where “every day is a learning experience,” she says. “You can't help but get excited because you know lives are going to be impacted and changed as a result of the class. They all bring different perspectives about the world. They all come from different places.” She teaches courses — both in the classroom and online — that many students think they don’t need (reading) and that they fear (speech). She was never nervous about public speaking. In fact, she had once aspired to be an actress, another notion dismissed by dad.

She was named one of the six Outstanding Faculty Award winners for the 2003-04 year. The award means the world to Blackmon because it comes from her peers.

“It is truly an honor because it’s saying that your colleagues think highly of you and that you’re doing a representative job of what we are all trying to do. From day one, I have received camaraderie and support from my colleagues and everyone at the College. Without these components, I would just be an ordinary teacher. With them, I continue to aspire for great things,” she says.

For all who have the good fortune of crossing the path of Juliann McIntosh Blackmon, following her lead should serve them well.

To see other students and faculty members that have been featured on the College’s home page, visit our Spotlight archive.