SJC Nursing Professor Wins Teaching Excellence Award
WEST HARTFORD, CT - Marylouise Welch, Ph.D., professor of Nursing at Saint Joseph College, has been selected as the 2009 recipient of the Reverend John J. Stack Teaching Excellence Award, which is presented annually at the College's Commencement ceremony. A resident of West Hartford, Dr. Welch earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She began her career as a staff nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital where she later became a nurse manager. Dr. Welch earned both her doctorate and master's degrees from the University of Connecticut; she became a full-time member of the Saint Joseph College faculty in 1983. She was also recognized as a 2009 Florence Nightingale Award honoree for excellence in nursing. As the winner of SJC's Stack Award, Dr. Welch will deliver the College's annual Convocation Address at the start of the fall 2009 semester.
Currently serving as director of the Graduate Program in Nursing, Dr. Welch has had an enormous impact on the quality of Nursing education at Saint Joseph College. She has been instrumental in the College's efforts to offer a doctor of Nursing practice degree. She teaches classes on homelessness, and worked on the task force that created The Wellness Center on Church Street in Hartford (a collaboration between St. Patrick - St. Anthony Church, the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry, and Saint Joseph College). Thanks in large part to her dedication, the working poor of Hartford are given health screenings and access to referrals from students in Nursing, Social Work, and Counseling.
Dr. Welch also developed a service learning project to bring students to Guyana, where they learn about nursing and health care. She tirelessly endeavored to provide an online graduate education for three nurses from Guyana which will result in the only Master's prepared nurses in that country.
According to Billye Auclair, Ph.D., Vice President for Academic Affairs/Dean at Saint Joseph College, "The Reverend John J. Stack Teaching Excellence Award encompasses a proud tradition of recognizing members of the faculty who have made outstanding contributions to student learning. Dr. Marylouise Welch, the 2009 recipient of this prestigious honor, is highly respected throughout the College community. Students find her approachable, compassionate and extremely dedicated to the field of Nursing. She serves as a role model for her students on both a personal and professional level. Dr. Welch's commitment to the Nursing profession, along with her demonstrated excellence as an educator, have profoundly impacted students throughout their academic years at Saint Joseph College and beyond."
