Mary Beverly Gallagher, assistant professor in the Division of Nursing and Allied Health Professions at Harford Community College, is a recipient of the fiscal year 2022 Nurse Faculty Annual Recognition Awards announced by the state’s Nurse Support Program II.
Gallagher is one of 23 nursing faculty in Maryland to receive the award this year. Deans and directors of nursing programs nominated full-time nursing faculty who demonstrated excellence, innovation and leadership in their nursing programs.
Gallagher was nominated because of her contributions to nursing education and her service to her college’s nursing students, according to a statement released by the college.
The Nurse Support Program II is administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission and funded through the Health Services Cost Review Commission. There are five categories that deans and directors use when selecting candidates for the award: excellence in teaching, impact on students, engagement in the nursing program and employing institution, innovation in education and technology, and contributions to nursing education.
Gallagher earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree in nursing education from Towson University. She is a certified nurse educator, a member of the National League for Nursing and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
Gallagher has been serving as a full-time faculty member at HCC since 2015 and currently teaches in the classroom, laboratory and clinical settings for the college’s foundational nursing course, Fundamentals of Nursing. As chair of the Nursing Department’s Student Affairs Committee, she is responsible for organizing student policy revisions and maintenance of the student handbook, while she plans and oversees the nursing pinning ceremony each semester.
Gallagher helped establish the Gamma Upsilon chapter of the Alpha Delta Nu national nursing honor society at Harford Community College and serves as a faculty adviser. She is also the faculty adviser to the Student Nurses Association, a member of the Nursing Scholarship Committee and co-chair of the Nursing Department’s testing committee.
“Her contributions to the college have helped with the success, retention and completion of programs for freshly admitted nursing students,” said Sonia Galvan, dean of the Nursing and Allied Health Professions at Harford Community College. Gallagher is known around the college for helping new faculty reach their education goals, Galvan said.
“She is very approachable and welcoming to new faculty, helping them grow in their educational goals while providing support and guidance,” Dean Galvan said.
As a recipient of this award, Gallagher will receive $10,000, which can go towards professional development, supplement a fellow’s salary, expenses to further a nurse faculty’s career and more.
