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Mary Kaye Waldron Award Winner |
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Mary Kaye Waldron Award Winner |
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Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs Donald Hafner is a recipients of one of two coveted Boston College faculty awards.
Hafner, a long-time professor of political science, was chosen for the Mary Kaye Waldron Award, given annually to a faculty member or administrator who has worked to enhance student life at Boston College.
Founder of the Political Science Honors Program, Hafner co-established and directs the University Fellowships Committee, which encourages and assists BC undergraduates seeking advanced academic opportunities through Rhodes, Fulbright, Marshall, Truman and other prestigious scholarships and grants. Two BC students have won Rhodes Scholarships during Hafner's tenure as committee director, and the University ranks 10th among the nation’s top producers of Fulbright scholars, according to the Institute of International Education.
In addition, Hafner was integral to the creation of BC's International Studies major, as well as its first undergraduate research journal, Elements, and research symposium.
Students also praise his role as mentor and friend. The award nomination notes, for example, that Hafner accompanied a student who had suffered a hockey career-ending injury to her first game as a spectator, and has frequently been asked by ROTC students to pin them at their commissioning - an honor usually reserved for parents or other family members.
"He has offered to proofread numerous resumes, essays, and personal statements to help students in their applications to various fellowship and graduate programs," the nomination read. "He has lent out shelves of his own books to students, including his dissertation, and he has always sat down with the students afterward to hear their thoughts on the text. He is immensely giving of both his time and himself, forming personal connections with every student who crosses his path."