Hegarty Award Citation for Professor Craig (Almeida) Kelley

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 fiftieth Commencement, Stonehill College is proud to bestow the Louise F. Hegarty Award for Excellence in Teaching on Professor Craig (Almeida) Kelley.

No better testimony to Professor Almeida’s commitment to Stonehill’s mission could be found than the words of those who nominated him. We will let them speak for themselves.

Dedication. Dr. Craig Almeida . . . has the ability to abstract from a discussion the finer and clearer points, the ability to bring the level of scientific discussion to an appropriate and yet challenging level.

As a Biology major who aspires to become a cancer geneticist and clinical researcher, I require an education that provides me with current and technologically advanced laboratory techniques—indeed, Professor Almeida’s Microbiology lab, above all others, has done just that.

Craig knows exactly how to relate to his students, how to challenge them (his classes have been my most challenging classes here), how to push those individual buttons, and if someone needs help, he is more than happy to be of assistance.

Craig and I have been colleagues for five years and I have come to know him as a teacher who has extraordinary empathy and patience for his students. His priorities are such that he puts their needs first, and this selflessness has earned him great respect among both students and peers.

The words of Ralph Waldo Emerson come to mind: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Behind Craig lie numerous experiences, achievements, and friendships that have been diverse and thrilling. Hopefully, what lies before him is a challenging and rewarding future as an outstanding college professor. Most important, however is what lies within Craig—an eagerness to teach and a burning desire to improve the education and welfare of those around him.

And so with deep pride we today recognize Professor Craig A. Almeida for exemplifying Stonehill’s commitment to academic excellence.

Given this twentieth day of May,

Two thousand and one.

Rev. Mark T. Cregan, C.S.C.

President