Hegarty Award Citation for Associate Professor Heather Bronwyn Bleakley

The Louise F. Hegarty Award for Excellence in Teaching is given each year to a full-time faculty member whose teaching has had a marked influence on the lives of Stonehill students. The Committee on Excellence in Teaching, representing Students, Faculty, and the Alumni Council, selects the outstanding teacher from those nominated by students and faculty members. The award is named in honor of one of Stonehill’s most accomplished teachers and the recipient stands as a symbol of the entire faculty’s commitment to teaching and academic excellence. At this 2015 Academic Convocation, Stonehill College is proud to bestow the Louise F. Hegarty Award for Excellence in Teaching on Professor Bronwyn Heather Bleakley.

Professor Bleakley’s commitment to teaching excellence and care-filled advising is abundantly clear in the words of those students and faculty who nominated her.

• Heather is, quite simply, a force of nature. Her tireless dedication to her students, her courses, and her colleagues constantly amazes me. She is someone that is setting the standard for all of us, and I find that very inspiring.
• In Biology 102 her enthusiasm made me fall in love with the majesty that is biology. In addition to her countless hours spent preparing a classroom environment that is most conducive for student learning, she also gives everything she has to help her students outside of the classroom. Her office door is always open and she will talk to you about anything from roommate problems to graduate school, or sometimes she will just be an ear for you to vent to. The love she has for her teaching and her students is always apparent and seemingly endless….There has yet to be a meeting where I leave feeling like I did not learn something new about science or about myself. I am a better student, researcher, and teacher because of her. So to summarize: Bleakley? I love her!
• Ever since I expressed my interest in marine biology and conservation, Professor Bleakley has taken the time to talk to me and forward me numerous emails and links about various programs or internships in these fields that she thought I might be interested in. Knowing that there is a professor at Stonehill who cares so much about helping me obtain my dream job is an incredible feeling, and it is all thanks to Professor Bleakley.
• I feel that Professor Bleakley’s passion to help students learn is not just a profession, but also a lifestyle. She radiates wisdom and makes you want to get up and learn at 8:30 a.m.!
• Professor Bleakley is a dedicated professor, academic advisor, and PI. Inside the classroom she is always engaged and prepared, and her passion for Biology is evident each and every day. She helps students in every phase of science (from helping them ask the right questions to helping them write efficient grants and lab reports) and tailors each course she teaches to the current students taking it.

And so with deep pride we today recognize Professor Bronwyn Heather Bleakley for exemplifying Stonehill’s commitment to provide an education of the highest caliber that fosters critical thinking, free inquiry, and the interchange of ideas.

Given this second day of September,

Two thousand and fifteen