2023 Dean's Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching and Mignot Award Granted to Heather Bradley

The 2023 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching and the Mignot Award was awarded to Heather Bradley-Geary, M.S.W. for the 2022-2023 academic year. Heather is an adjunct professor and a field liaison for the KU School of Social Welfare. As an adjunct professor, Heather Bradley-Geary teaches undergraduate courses in topics including policy, ethics and group dynamics. Recent courses include Human Rights, Social, Economic and Environmental Justice; Skills-Based Policy Advocacy; and Grant Writing & Program Development.

The Dean’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching was created to demonstrate our appreciation of our adjunct faculty members’ immense contributions to the School’s teaching mission. Because many of our adjunct faculty continue to work in agencies and private practices, students benefit from their ability to link our curriculum and coursework to the issues and concerns they face daily in practice settings.

Five of Heather’s students nominated Heather to receive Dean's Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching. These students describe the classroom learning environment that Heather provides as supportive, empowering, and hands-on. Heather’s approach pushes students beyond their comfort zones at times. However, students consistently reflected on her supportiveness, commenting on how she goes out of her way to ensure students understand and can apply course material and allowing them to gain a full experience of what future social work practice will entail. One student’s praise of Heather sums it up: “Heather actively wants us to be better social workers and gives us the space to do great work. Every time I leave Heather’s class, I feel like I can change the world.”

The Mignot Award was initiated in 2006 by the officers in the BSW student group. These students felt that beyond the faculty at the School, there were, and continue to be, many talented and dedicated individuals who have a significant impact on their BSW education. The Mignot Award goes to student services professionals who provide guidance and support or doctoral student GTAs and adjunct faculty who routinely teach BSW courses. Each year, BSW students choose the winner through an open nomination and voting process. Heather’s students nominated and selected her for this year’s Mignot Award, for the significant impact she has had on their undergraduate education.