Being that he was on crutches at the time, Assistant Professor Richard Regan didn’t think he would make it to the Senior Brunch, held during Senior Week. It’s a good thing he did though-the Manor announced that this year’s yearbook will be dedicated in his honor.
“I was utterly astonished and flattered,” said Regan. “Students’ opinions are the ones I really care about.”
Editor-in-chief of the Manor Julia Macina ’09 made the announcement, noting that Regan is “one of the most tech-savvy professors I have encountered at Fairfield.”
Regan, a professor in the English Department, teaches Shakespeare and comedy courses and is well-known for integrating computer and multimedia approaches into his teaching.
“Students seem to like that,” said Regan, who plans on continuing to use the newest technology in the classroom.
Macina made the dedication decision along with Jim Fitzpatrick, the assistant vice president of Student Services and the advisor of the Manor, and the Manor staff, in addition to surveying some students to see who they think is worthy of the honor.
“When we choose the dedication we try to select a professor, faculty member or administrator that has been at Fairfield for a significant amount of time and has impacted and touched the lives of the students in a profound way,” explained Macina. “Dr. Regan was long overdue for a dedication.”
Allison Floyd ’10, a former Shakespeare student of Regan’s, agreed. “Prof. Regan is definitely well-deserving of this honor because it is clear that he really cares about and has enthusiasm for the subject matter.”
Macina, a biology major who took Regan’s comedy class, said in her dedication speech that “Dr. Regan was able to present the course material in an engrossing fashion to all the members of the class.”
Regan acknowledged that he does genuinely like his students and tries to reach out to them as much as possible.
“In the evaluations, students mention the multimedia and computer applications first, but always mention my enthusiasm for the literature,” he said.
Although Regan is very popular amongst English majors, Macina noted that he is also well-known throughout the Fairfield community. In addition to teaching at Fairfield since 1965, “before the real 60s began,” as Regan put it, he has also been a long-time resident of Fairfield.
In all his years of teaching, Regan has had some hopes for his students. “One of my goals is for students to return to the literature on their own after they graduate.” Floyd acknowledged that she will continue to enjoy Shakespeare after Regan’s class. “He makes an effort to try to get students to understand why what they’re learning is important and interesting,” she said.
“I know this doesn’t sound like much,” continued Floyd, “but to have professors who are both nice and know what they are talking about is rare, and Professor Regan is one of them.”
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