Franklin University’s Fall 2024 Robert L. Bailey Teaching Award Recipients Announced

Contact:

Sherry Mercurio
Executive Director, Office of Community Relations
(614) 947-6581
Email: sherry.mercurio@franklin.edu

As Franklin University proudly celebrates its 178th Commencement on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at 2 p.m. (ET), the University honors the dedicated educators who play a pivotal role in the success of its graduates. Congratulations to this trimester’s Robert L. Bailey Teaching Award recipients, Dr. Steven Hess and Dr. Sarah Bradford Fletcher, who exemplify Franklin’s commitment to providing impactful and personalized education to working adults.

Graduate Bailey Award Winner
As an adjunct dedicated to student success, Dr. Steven Hess has mentored research design, statistics and other courses. His teaching style is unorthodox, as he embraces the older ideological construct of mentor-learner education grounded in the directed evolution of worldviews. His long and impactful career in higher education includes a variety of administrative roles, as well as serving as chair, methodologist and/or consultant on approximately 1,000 dissertation committees. Steve is a product of the California Community College system, the University of California, Davis, and Walden University. His educational background spans applied mathematics, theoretical physics, education, adult education, computer science and related areas. His career has included risk analysis, venture capital, various educational roles, instructional design, curriculum development and accreditation.

Undergraduate Bailey Award Winner
Dr. Sarah Bradford Fletcher began her work at Franklin University as a tutor in 2014, and transitioned her vast experience working with students to become an adjunct professor in 2022. Teaching is her passion, and she shares that through her approachable, inclusive style of teaching. She believes in meeting students where they are and fostering their growth while supporting and challenging them. Sarah’s undergraduate work in education was completed at Indiana State University. She spent several years working in alternative K-12 schools in Indiana and South Carolina. Sarah holds a master’s degree in drama, language arts, literature and reading, and a doctorate in literature for children and young adults, both from The Ohio State University. Her career in education spans 22 years, with the last 14 focused in higher education .

Explore Excellence in Teaching
Watch this trimester's Robert L. Bailey Teaching Award recipients share their inspiring acceptance speeches here: franklin.edu/commencement.

About the Robert L. Bailey Teaching Award
Each trimester, two faculty members are honored with the Robert L. Bailey Teaching Award. Graduating students are asked to identify one undergraduate and one graduate faculty member who had the most significant influence on them throughout their educational experience at Franklin University. The award recognizes those who have challenged students intellectually and guided them in finding the significance of the course content as it relates to them both personally and professionally.

While more than 100 graduate and undergraduate faculty members are nominated each trimester – clearly showing the magnitude of interaction between students and faculty at Franklin University – the faculty members receiving the most nominations are awarded this honor.

These awards are funded through an endowment established by State Auto Insurance Companies in recognition of Robert L. Bailey, who served State Auto for 28 years in various positions, including President, CEO, and Chairman, until his retirement in 2000. Bailey is also a past Chair and a Trustee Emeritus of Franklin University’s Board of Trustees.

About Franklin University

Accredited, nonprofit, and dedicated to educating adults since 1902, Franklin provides onsite course options at our Main Campus in downtown Columbus, Ohio, and is an innovator in providing personalized online education. The University offers applied in-demand undergraduate, masters, and doctorate programs that enable adult learners to achieve their educational and professional goals. Through agreements with partner institutions, the University also offers international academic programs, including its top-ranked MBA.

Franklin University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and holds specialized accreditations for specific academic programs through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education. The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated Franklin University as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE).