Emeritus Faculty: Serge Ainsa

A.A., Aix en Provence, France

B.A., Brigham Young University

M.A., Brigham Young University

Ainsa, Serge M. A Contrastive Analysis of the French and Spanish Phonetical and Phonological Systems. 1974. Print.

Ainsa, Serge M. Illustrated French Idioms. 1977. Print.

Ainsa, Serge. Illustrated Spanish Idioms. Prescott, Arizona: Yavapai College Press, 1978. Print.

If you have additions or corrections to this page, please contact the College Archives at 928-776-2262 or archives@yc.edu.  We are especially looking for :

• Nomination materials of faculty for Emeritus status
• Classes taught by individual Emeritus faculty 
• Evidence of their superior teaching at YC
• Their involvement in committee work and special projects
• Photographs of them during their time at YC
• List of written works published, public artwork, music written and performed

Serge Ainsa started teaching at the College in 1974. He originally thought he was hired to teach Spanish but when he got here he was asked to run the French Language program. In order to make the French program known, he tried numerous events to increase enrollment in the French classes. He even taught a successful French cooking class which mushroomed accidentally to 3 classes.

Programs to promote his classes and raise cultural awareness:

• Le Tour de Prescott Bike Race - from the College to the Airport and back
• Taught French cooking; used the kitchen at the Lutheran Church
• Used the marquee of a local department store, Cornet, to advertise his classes
• "Around the World in 60 Minutes" - a student project that provided a simulated trip
• "Arabian Night" - Arabian students made food, and provided entertainment

Serge eventually taught Beginning and Intermediate Spanish and Conversational Spanish. He feels his greatest accomplishment was his success in the classroom. He freely admits that he was known as a tough teacher but his students knew he was there to help them succeed. In his retirement, he taught YC's "Command Spanish" to jailers and firefighters over 4 week periods.

In his oral history interview, Serge reflects on the changes in technology.  He started at the College using an electric typewriter with interchangeable fonts for different foreign languages.  His first computer was an Apple IIc and the first computer tutorial on campus was a foreign language program.

Committee Work:

• Curriculum Committee for 3 years
• Faculty Affairs for 3 years
• Faculty Senate

Community Service:

• Arizona Foreign Languages Association - served for many years
• Southwest Conference for Foreign Language Teaching - served on Board

Awards

• Nominated three times for Who's Who of American Teachers 
• Won the Outstanding Foreign Language Teacher Award from the Arizona Foreign Language Association

Mr. Ainsa retired from full-time teaching in 2007 and was honored with Emeritus Faculty status May, 2009.