Saint Michael's College associate professor of anthropology Dr. Patricia Delaney, of Huntington, was awarded the competitive award for Excellence in Community-Based Teaching by the Vermont Campus Compact (VCC) at the recognition ceremony that concluded their April 13-14 conference on Higher Education and the Greater Good held at the Sheraton in Burlington.
The award is given to a faculty member from a VCC member campus who has made public service an integral part of their teaching, to the benefit of both students and community.
Saint Michael’s President, John J. Neuhauser, presented the award and said, “Ever since Patti Delaney arrived at Saint Michael's College four years ago, she has continually demonstrated her enthusiasm and belief in the transformative power of community-based teaching—whether it be in a rich cross-cultural setting locally with community partners in the Burlington area or on the other side of the world in Southeast Asia.”
Professor Delaney’s community partnerships with Champlain Elementary School and the King Street youth Center have engaged 125 Saint Michael’s students in approximately 3,000 hours of direct service through her Introduction to Cultural Anthropology course. This represents only a small portion of her partnering work, which has included student involvement with the Visiting Nurses Association, the Association of Africans Living in Vermont, the Boys and Girls Club, and other organizations.
President Neuhauser said further of her work, “We are very proud of the substantial and concrete impact that Patti Delaney’s teaching has on our students and on the surrounding community, and of her perseverance in this good and important work, even in the face of many challenges.”
