Local Award

Leon Baradat Service Award

Description

The Leon Baradat Service Award, established in 2018, is conferred annually upon faculty of MiraCosta College. Leon Baradat was a faculty member in political science at MiraCosta from 1970 to 2003 who was committed to the practice of collegiality, both large scale and small. He was an outstanding teacher who engaged, challenged, and inspired his students. He was also founder and president of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. Please see the bottom of the page to learn more about Leon Baradat.

This award honors outstanding MiraCosta faculty, one fulltime and one associate, annually. These honorees will have a passion for teaching, counseling or library work and a dedication to students. They especially will have demonstrated excellence beyond the classroom or primary work site in fostering engagement and creating a positive and inclusive campus climate through institutional service. These recipients will be leaders who have contributed to the larger good of the MiraCosta College campus. The award may be received only once during the faculty member's lifetime at MiraCosta College.

Award

Recipients of the annual Baradat Award, one fulltime and one associate faculty member, each receive a "Gold Star" plaque and a cash award of $300. Winners are announced at the Spring Celebration of Excellence.

Service Criteria

Winning individuals will be nominated by a peer who will provide evidence of their impact at MiraCosta in the following areas through institutional service:

Creating an inclusive and supportive campus climate
Success in engaging various constituencies and resources to work together to advance student success
Demonstrated leadership in campus, professional and/or student activities which advance student success

Employment Criteria

Fulltime nominees must be current tenured faculty. Associate faculty (classroom and non-classroom) must be currently employed with the District and must have been on contract for six (6) consecutive semesters (fall/spring) or assignment periods.

Application

Nominator(s) must submit the Application Form and a 1-page cover letter, along with the name(s) of the nominator(s), to the chair of the faculty awards committee. Additional supporting evidence, if necessary, can be submitted in the Application Form, including qualitative and/or quantitative data, photos, articles, lists of leadership positions held, and/or lists of events/programs planned/executed. Please review the Baradat Award Rubric before submitting a nomination!

Process

A call for nominations shall be posted by week 6 of spring semester. Peers may nominate any faculty (fulltime or associate faculty) meeting the above criteria who have not previously received the award. Each nomination will describe how the nominee meets the criteria. The Awards Committee will evaluate nominations according to the Baradat Award Rubric. Winners are announced at the annual Spring Celebration of Excellence.

Baradat Award Winners

2018: Jonathan Cole (FT) & Joe Chirra (AF)
2019: Susan Herrmann (FT) & Al Nyman (AF)
2020: Edward Pohlert (FT) & Krista Warren-Yagubian (AF)
2021: Scott Fallstrom (FT) & Robin Allyn (AF)
2022: Kristi Reyes (FT)
2023: Leila Safaralian (FT) & Ingrid Bairstow (AF)

More about Leon Baradat

From Leon Baradat's obituary

Serving students was Leon's vocation, his calling. Never did he walk into a classroom unprepared or wear other than a jacket and tie. Never did he fail to plan a new syllabus for each term's classes. His students, whom he always called by their surnames, saw him as one of the tough ones, yet they appreciated his dazzling lectures and passion for his discipline, so much so that they bestowed upon him the second Teacher of the Year Award ever bestowed at MiraCosta. Leon was known for using mnemonics, presenting details in a way that made them easy to remember. Former students could often recite bits of his lectures years after taking his classes. As one B-student wrote in Rate My Professor, "You really have to work for your grade, but he will stop the world to help you. He's truly a helluva guy." Leon felt inordinate pride in making poli sci majors out of some students and making good citizens out of others.

Former MiraCosta Academic Senate President and Professor Emeritus Jonathan Cole has shared the following thoughts about Leon Baradat

“Leon loved being a faculty member, his heart was in the classroom and he was passionate about advocating for faculty and collegiality.”
“Leon awarded a hand-made gold star to students that attended every class.”
“Leon wore a jacket and tie and addressed all students by their surnames. It was a different era and there was a level of formal respect that he gave his students.”
“When I was Academic Senate President at MiraCosta, I joked that we need an 'in case of emergency break glass,' with a direct line to Leon Baradat.”

Learn more about Leon Baradat's service to ASCCC