Dr. Francis Mulcahy Receives Chairs' Faculty Teaching Award at Pitt-Bradford

Dr. Francis Mulcahy, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, has received the 2013 Chairs’ Faculty Teaching Award for excellence in teaching.

“Students fondly consider him a very accessible instructor who is always available after class for questions dealing with homework or lab reports,” said Dr. Yong-Zhuo Chen, professor of physics and chairman of the Division of Physical and Computational Sciences, who nominated Mulcahy.

Mulcahy was chosen for the award by the chairmen and chairwomen of Pitt-Bradford’s five academic divisions.

In choosing an award recipient, the chairpersons review letters of recommendation, student evaluations of teaching, syllabi and grade distribution. They also consider the teachers’ knowledge of subject matter and their advising and dedication in working with students beyond the classroom in activities such as internships and research projects.

The award, which is now in its 12th year, is open to any full-time faculty member who has taught at Pitt-Bradford for at least three consecutive academic years.

Chen cited Mulcahy’s ability to maintain high evaluations from students whether the class had eight upper-level students or more than 60 students in an introductory lecture class.

Jake Loree ’11 said that Mulcahy “has the ability to not only engage his students in a difficult subject, but also to keep the subject of chemistry fun.”

Chen and alumni of the chemistry program also praised Mulcahy’s work outside the classroom, advising chemistry and pre-pharmacy majors, repairing lab equipment, supervising directed study and internships, and growing the chemistry program as its director from fewer than 10 students in the major five or six years ago to as many as 30 today.

Mulcahy has taught at Pitt-Bradford since 1989 and has served as director of the program since 1998. He teaches general, analytical and environmental chemistry. He earned his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh in 1989 and earned his bachelor of science in chemistry at St. Vincent College. He and his wife, Dr. Mary Mulcahy, associate professor of biology at Pitt-Bradford, live in Bradford with their two children.

Past recipients of the Chairs’ Faculty Teaching Award are Dr. Tammy Haley, Isabelle Champlin, Dr. Hashim Yousif, Dr. Jean Truman, Andrea Robbins, Dr. Helene Lawson, Dr. Joanne Burgert, Dr. Nancy McCabe, Donald Lewicki, Dr. Donald Ulin and Dr. Lauren Yaich.