Fairfield University’s chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu, the honor society of Jesuit colleges and universities, recognized Naser Haghbin, PhD, and Julie Marella with 2026 Teacher of the Year Awards. George Bauer and Jaclyn Lindsey-Noble were honored with 2026 Excellence in Teaching Awards.
On May 13, Fairfield University’s Alpha Sigma Nu chapter gathered for its annual Teacher of the Year recognition ceremony, which celebrates undergraduate and graduate professors as well as adjunct faculty members, for the impact they’ve made in their field and on their students.
Through a student-centered nomination process, awardees were recognized for exemplifying scholarship, loyalty, and service—the guiding pillars of the Alpha Sigma Nu society.
Teacher of the Year Awardees
Naser Haghbin, PhD
Assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the School of Engineering and Computing, received the Undergraduate Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year Award. “Receiving this recognition through Alpha Sigma Nu is deeply meaningful because it affirms the kind of teaching I value most: creating experiences where students can discover their talents, build confidence, and find direction.
I am especially grateful that students saw and connected with the care and intention behind those experiences,” said Dr. Haghbin. “This recognition also deepens my sense of responsibility to keep listening, keep improving, and keep designing opportunities for students to explore, create, and see new possibilities in themselves. That is what makes teaching at Fairfield so meaningful to me: walking with students as they discover who they are becoming, both as engineers and as whole people.”
Julie Marella
Instructor of the practice, marketing, in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, received the Graduate Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year Award. Graduate alumna Mayana Dos Reis, MBA’26, MS’26, had the pleasure of having Marella as an instructor for two courses—experiences that greatly impacted how she approaches both her education and her career. “One thing that has always stood out to me is that Professor Marella's support doesn't end at graduation.
She stays in touch with former students, celebrates their accomplishments, and continues to help them throughout their careers,” said Dos Reis. “She encourages a full-circle culture where graduates come back to support the next generation of students. As an international student, being part of that community made a tremendous difference in my experience.”
Excellence in Teaching Awardees
George Bauer
Adjunct faculty in the School of Engineering and Computing, received the Graduate Excellence in Teaching Award.
Jaclyn Lindsey-Noble
Adjunct faculty in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, received the Undergraduate Excellence in Teaching Award.
Rev. John Mulreany, S.J., superior of the Fairfield Jesuit Community and advisor to Fairfield’s Alpha Sigma Nu chapter shared that he is often privileged to meet Fairfield alumni who recall with gratitude professors who took an interest in them and literally changed their lives. “As a Jesuit,” he said,
“I’m deeply gratified that Dr. Naser Haghbin, Julie Marella, George Bauer, and Jaclyn Lindsey-Noble continue the over 450-year-old Jesuit tradition of student-centered transformative teaching. I’m certain that in the future, their students will recall with gratitude the impact these professors had on them.”
