Santa Barbara City College Professor Kathy Molloy has been named a recipient of the prestigious Hayward Award, an annual recognition honoring four community college faculty from across the state who have a track record of excellence both in teaching and in professional activities and have demonstrated commitment to their students, profession and college. 

“I’m grateful for this recognition but even more grateful for the support I’ve received from the college and for the amazing faculty and students that I’m privileged to work with every day,” said Professor Molloy.

Professor Molloy has a long history of excellence at SBCC. She served as department chair for English skills and director of composition for the English division.

At the same time, she became the English division representative on the Academic Senate, serving for 16 years as a senator and eventually as the Senate president.

During her tenure as Academic Senate president, she led the Senate’s Student Success Initiative. The result of the Senate’s work was the Partnership for Student Success, SBCC’s award winning collaboration of tutoring programs.

In 2010, when SBCC received its first Title V Hispanic Serving Institutions grant, she was asked to become the project director. Since then, she has worked with faculty from English, English skills, math and counseling to plan and implement the Express to Success Program (ESP).

Begun in fall 2011, ESP offers accelerated learning communities for students in developmental math and English and received the Chancellor’s Award for Best Practices in Student Equity.   

Professor Molloy has been recognized for her teaching and commitment to student success. In 2011, she was selected as recipient of the Stanback-Stroud Diversity Award by the Statewide Academic Senate and the Foundation for California Community Colleges.

In 2013, she was honored as the SBCC Faculty Lecturer of the Year. 

“Kathy is greatly deserving of this statewide honor. Her passion for teaching is inspiring as is her unwavering drive to explore new ways to engage students in the learning process,” said SBCC President Lori Gaskin. “Excellence is a hallmark of SBCC and Professor Molloy exemplifies this attribute in every way.”

This is the ninth time Santa Barbara City College faculty have been recipients of the Hayward Award, which was created by the Board of Governors of California Community Colleges in 1985. 

— Luz Reyes-Martin is the interim public information officer for Santa Barbara City College.