Mary Immaculate College (MIC) academic Dr Jennifer Pope, Lecturer in Reflective Pedagogy and Early Childhood Studies, has been named the winner of the 2025/26 Regional Teaching Excellence Award (RTEA), which recognises outstanding achievement in higher education teaching across the Midwest region.
The award was presented at a ceremony hosted by MIC on Thursday 4 June and forms part of a collaborative initiative between MIC, the University of Limerick (UL) and the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS). The awards celebrate educators who demonstrate excellence, innovation and impact in teaching and learning.
Dr Pope was selected as the overall winner following a competitive judging process involving finalists from the three institutions. Her work was recognised for its commitment to student-centred learning, reflective practice and excellence in teaching.
MIC was also represented among the finalists by Department of Arts Education and Physical Education’s Dr Richard Bowles, Lecturer in Physical Education, and Dr Edmond Gubbins, Assistant Professor in School Placement and Practitioner Research. Both were recognised for their outstanding commitment to teaching and learning and for the significant contribution they make to the student experience at MIC.
The six other finalists represented a broad range of disciplines across the region’s higher education sector. From TUS, finalists included Dr Sergii Kushch, Lecturer in Computer Networks and Mathematics; Alan McGuire, Lecturer in Electrical and Manufacturing Apprenticeship Programmes; and Dr Clodagh Reid, Lecturer in Technology Education. Representing UL were Dr Christina O’Connor, Associate Professor in the Department of Management & Marketing, Kemmy Business School; Dr Shalini Singh, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Sciences; and Dr Adam Toth, Associate Professor of Sport and Exercise Biomechanics in the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences.
Following a rigorous review process, Dr Pope was selected as the overall winner by an independent judging panel comprising Dr Ronan Bree (Dundalk Institute of Technology), Dr Mairéad Greene (University of Galway), Jamie Heywood (Anglia Ruskin University), Sinéad Lynch (Dublin City University) and chaired by Dr Pauline Rooney (Trinity College Dublin).
Speaking following the announcement, Dr Pope said:
"I am deeply honoured to receive this award and to be recognised alongside such inspiring colleagues from across the region. Teaching is a privilege, and I am continually motivated by the opportunity to support students as they develop their confidence, critical thinking and professional identity. This award reflects the value MIC places on teaching excellence and the collective commitment of our staff to creating meaningful learning experiences for students."
Professor Dermot Nestor, President of MIC, congratulated Dr Pope on her achievement and acknowledged the contribution of all three MIC finalists:
"What distinguishes the work of Dr Jennifer Pope is not simply that she teaches well—it is that she insists on the depth and the difficulty of early childhood. As at home with a new digital tool as with a handful of natural materials, she is already interrogating what AI will ask of those who teach the very young. I am immensely proud, though hardly surprised, that the regional panel saw what we see every day. My sincere congratulations to Jennifer, and to her fellow MIC finalists, Dr Richard Bowles and Dr Edmond Gubbins whose teaching holds to the very same standard.”
