National Honors for Top Professor in Connecticut

Kathleen LeBlanc of NVCC was honored as the Connecticut Professor of the Year at a ceremony in Washington D.C., November 21.

Waterbury, Conn. – The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education have named Kathleen LeBlanc, professor of human services at Naugatuck Valley Community College, the 2008 Connecticut Professor of the Year. 
A ceremony was held at the Willard InterContinental Washington in Washington D.C. on Friday, November 21, to honor winners from 44 states, the District of Columbia and Guam. LeBlanc was selected from nearly 300 top faculty members nominated by colleges and universities throughout the country.
“Professor LeBlanc epitomizes what Naugatuck Valley Community College and the other colleges in our system have to offer to our students and communities,” said William T. Brown, Ph.D., academic division director of behavioral and social sciences. “No one is more deserving of this recognition.”
LeBlanc has worked at Naugatuck Valley Community College as an associate professor and coordinator of the human services program for 10 years. Prior to the College, she worked as the program director of family life services at Saint Mary’s Hospital and at the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.

“I always enjoyed the teaching aspect of my work at Saint Mary’s,” said LeBlanc. “Most of the employees I worked with were graduates of NVCC, which allowed me to learn first-hand what the program’s strengths and areas for improvement were.”

LeBlanc’s mission since transitioning to the College has been to build more bridges for students into four-year institutions and the workforce. The program currently holds articulation agreements with Post University and the University of Bridgeport in Waterbury, which allows students a seamless transfer of credits into a four-year program.

“Most students enter the workforce while also continuing into a 4-year program,” said LeBlanc. “They are used to being out in the community. My students work hands-on with local non-profits like Safe Haven, Morris Foundation and Girls, Inc., as part of their degree and still find time to volunteer on a regular basis.”

“It felt really good to be there representing a two-year college,” said LeBlanc. “It makes the statement that we’re not just inexpensive, we have a great reputation and we are very qualified. Past students always tell me that their community college professors went above and beyond to see them succeed.”

“You can see it by the students who gather around the podium after class is over to get further information, her opinions, input and ideas,” said former student Deborah Gabriele. “Students are eager to learn from her. She has that gift.”

The Carnegie Foundation and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) have been partners in honoring Professors of the Year since 1981. TIAA-CREF, one of America's leading financial services organizations and higher education's premier retirement system, became the primary sponsor for the awards ceremony in 2000. Additional support for the program is provided by a number of higher education associations, including Phi Beta Kappa.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching was founded in 1905 by Andrew Carnegie “to do all things necessary to encourage, uphold and dignify the profession of teaching.”  The foundation is the only advanced-study center for teachers in the world and the third-oldest foundation in the nation.  Its nonprofit research activities are conducted by a small group of distinguished scholars.