Spring 2023 Robert L. Bailey Teaching Award Recipients Announced

Contact:

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

Franklin University, one of the leading educators of working adults in central Ohio, celebrates its 173rd Commencement on Friday, May 19 at 7 p.m. (EDT). Along with honoring the graduates, Franklin recognizes Alexander Dontre and Ted Jones from its faculty as recipients of the distinguished Robert L. Bailey Teaching Award.

Congratulations to this trimester’s recipients: Alexander Dontre, undergraduate adjunct faculty, and Ted Jones, graduate adjunct faculty.

Alexander Dontre teaches undergraduate psychology courses and the capstone course for the undergraduate psychology and social science programs. He also recently began to teach in the M.S. in Business Psychology program. His teaching philosophy is to set a high bar for students, but to help them to achieve success in unanticipated ways.
 
Alexander earned his associate degree at Columbus State Community College, and his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Franklin. He has published one academic article and two books. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in psychology with a minor in neuropsychology at Fielding Graduate University. Outside of academia, Alexander is the long-time drummer for the comedy metal band, Psychostick. Performances have taken him to seven countries on two continents, where he’s written – or graded – numerous papers backstage at raucous metal concerts.

Ted Jones has served as an adjunct professor since 2004, and is a five-time recipient of the Robert L. Bailey Teaching Award. He primarily teaches in the M.S. in Business Psychology, M.S. in Marketing + Communication, and MBA programs. Ted challenges his students to apply marketing principles in their professional capacities, as well as within their personal lives by thinking of themselves as brands. He balances a positive, inspiring and encouraging environment while respecting the commitments and diversity of his graduate students. Integrity is one of his leading characteristics. In addition to holding an MBA and an M.S. in Post-Secondary and Adult Education, Ted brings over three decades of experience within the travel and tourism industry to his teaching role.
 
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).