Dr. Robert B. Hackey, professor of health policy and management and acting program director, left, is joined by colleagues after being announced as the recipient of the 2007-08 Joseph R. Accinno Faculty Teaching Award at the Spring Faculty and Staff Meeting. With him are Dr. Laurie L. Grupp, chair of the Teaching Award Selection Committee (TASC), who made the announcement, and Dr Hugh F. Lena, vice president for academic affairs.

College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., left, stands with Rev. Thomas J. Ertle, O.P., College assistant chaplain, chaplain to PC’s student-athletes, and subprior of the Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas, who was the recipient of The Reverend Philip A. Smith, O.P. Award, also announced at the meeting.

Accinno Faculty Teaching Award
Established in 2002, the Joseph R. Accinno Faculty Teaching Award is presented annually to the faculty member who best exhibits teaching excellence, passion, and enthusiasm for learning, and concern for students’ academic and personal growth.

The award is named for the late brother of John J. Accinno, C.P.A. ’46, who is a member of PC’s Providence President’s Council.

Dr. Laurie L. Grupp, associate professor of education, director of the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), and chair of the Teaching Award Selection Committee (TASC), told the audience that the process of selecting the award recipient began in October. A total of 53 nominations were received for faculty from 17 different academic disciplines.

Prior to announcing Hackey as the sixth annual winner, Grupp quoted some of his students. She said one called him “an innovator and a leader in a small but ever-growing major” and “someone who has inspired many of us to work harder, succeed, and truly be passionate about this major.”

Although the award is recognition of Hackey’s talents as an educator, he said it is this kind of praise from his students that is even more rewarding for him.

“It is incredibly satisfying to see that my students recognize what I’m trying to achieve in my courses, and that they view me as a supportive partner in their journey,” he said.

Since joining the PC faculty in 1999, Hackey has taught courses ranging from an introductory course to advanced courses, tackling major issues like health care reform in America, social theory, and health policy.

Hackey said his teaching philosophy is centered on challenging students and evaluating their performance rigorously, emphasizing connections between theoretical and real-world issues, and enhancing students’ analytical and communicative skills.

“My aspirations for our students are high and they are matched by high expectations for their performance in the classroom,” Hackey said.

Outside the classroom, Hackey has served on a number of College committees, including the Committee for the Enhancement of Learning, the Committee on Academic Rank and Tenure (CART), and the Instructional Technology Committee (ITeC).

Hackey also has carved out a stellar career beyond PC. In 2007, he was a visiting scholar at the prestigious A. Alfred Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions at Brown University.

He is the author of Rethinking Health Care Policy: The New Politics of State Regulation (Georgetown University Press, 1998) and the co-editor of The New Politics of State Health Policy (University Press of Kansas, 2001).

In addition, his work has appeared in Critical Sociology; the New England Journal of Public Policy; Polity; the Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law; Spectrum: The Journal of State Government; and the Journal of Trauma.

In recognition of his honor, Hackey’s name will be engraved on a plaque that hangs in Phillips Memorial Library, he will receive a cash stipend, and he will be formally acknowledged at the College’s Academic Convocation in September.

“PC is a very special place to teach because it truly recognizes the importance of teaching, and the administration has created a climate that really encourages faculty to try new things and reflect on what they do in the classroom,” Hackey said.

The Reverend Philip A. Smith, O.P. Award
The Reverend Philip A. Smith, O.P. Award was established in 2002 by Paul and Michele Hoffman ’02P & ’06P, then co-chairs of Parents for Providence. The award is named in honor of the late Father Smith, who served as the College’s 11th president from 1994-2005.

Individuals bestowed with the honor are those whose contributions have made a significant impact in furthering the mission of PC.

Although he has spent considerable portions of his life serving areas of New York, New Jersey, and Ohio, Father Ertle first came to PC in 1947. He earned a bachelor’s degree in ecclesiastical studies from the College in 1951 and a master’s degree in religious studies in 1982.

From 1979 through 1982, Father Ertle served the spiritual needs of students, faculty, and staff as College chaplain. From 1981-84, he also was prior of the Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas.

He then left the College to serve in several administrative positions—including prior provincial—with the Dominican Province of St. Joseph in New York City, as well teaching at Molloy College on Long Island, New York, and serving as pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Zanesville, Ohio.

Father Ertle returned to PC in 1998. For the past decade, he has served as assistant chaplain and chaplain to the College’s student-athletes. He also was acting College chaplain in 2000-2001 and is a past member of the President’s Council and College Corporation, among other College boards.

“The students have been a true blessing,” Father Ertle said. “I love them. They have helped make this the greatest assignment in the world.”

In addition to his work on campus, Father Ertle continues to minister to the infirmed at local hospitals. Also, for seven years, he used the sign-language skills taught to him by a Dominican Sister at St. Pius Church and Rose A. Boyle ’82 & ’90G to celebrate Mass for the deaf at St. Ann’s Church in Providence.

“He does so much for so many. He goes out of his way to be pastoral,” said Jane Larson McGuirk, senior office assistant in the Office of the Chaplain/Campus Ministry. “I often think of him as the priest’s priest.”

Father Ertle, who was not present for the award announcement that was made by College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., said receiving an award named after Father Smith makes the honor that much more special.

“He’s the one who asked me to come back to the College to become chaplain,” Father Ertle said. “I am so grateful to Providence College. I hope today’s students have the same joyful and pleasant experience that I have had.”

Father Shanley said that although there were many deserving candidates for the Smith Award, Father Ertle’s longstanding, exemplary service to the College made him the most deserving recipient.

“The simplest way to describe Father Ertle is he is much beloved on this campus,” he said.