Spring 2021 Robert L. Bailey Teaching Award Recipients Announced

Contact:

Sherry Mercurio
Executive Director, Office of Community Relations
(614) 947-6581
Email: sherry.mercurio@franklin.edu

Franklin University, one of the leading educators of working adults in central Ohio, celebrates its 167th Virtual Commencement on Friday, June 18 at 7 p.m. (EDT). Along with honoring the graduates, Franklin recognizes Bruce Stapleton and Annette Hoelzer, from its faculty as recipients of the distinguished Robert L. Bailey Teaching Award.

Congratulations to this trimester’s recipients: Bruce Stapleton, marketing undergraduate faculty, and Annette Hoelzer, lead accounting faculty.

Bruce Stapleton has been a Franklin University adjunct professor since 2013, and currently teaches undergraduate marketing classes. His teaching style is to engage students using Franklin’s wide range of online resources including discussion groups, interactive meet sessions and self-produced videos that apply real-world examples based on 30 years of executive marketing and management experience. 

Bruce earned his MBA from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina and his bachelor’s degree in business and economics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Over the course of his career, he served as a senior executive of a Fortune 500 IT company, founded his own preventive health and wellness ecommerce company, and worked as the chief club and marketing officer for a major sports club. He currently operates a marketing agency focused on helping nonprofits improve their strategic branding and digital marketing. In addition, Bruce has served on local nonprofit boards for more than 20 years and currently chairs the board for a Springfield (Ohio) nonprofit.

Annette Hoelzer joined Franklin’s faculty an adjunct professor in 2014, and currently serves as lead faculty for accounting. She has overseen the areas of tax and forensic accounting. As an avenue to give back to the profession in which she has spent so many years, Annette’s greatest passion is teaching and mentoring future accountants and consultants. 

After 32 years in public accounting, Annette retired as a partner in the tax practice at BDO’s Columbus office, where she oversaw the professional services for the region and regularly conducted extensive research on issues affecting nonprofits. As the retired nonprofit tax partner for the central region for BDO, Annette is experienced in tax matters of nonprofit organizations. During her career, she frequently shared her expertise on various tax topics through presentations and articles, including ghost writing for a national nonprofit publication. Annette holds a Master of Tax from Capital University and a bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University.

About the Robert L. Bailey Teaching Award
Each trimester, two faculty members are honored with the Robert L. Bailey Teaching Award. Graduating students are asked to identify one undergraduate and one graduate faculty member who had the most significant influence on them throughout their educational experience at Franklin University. The award recognizes those who have challenged students intellectually and guided them in finding the significance of the course content as it relates to them both personally and professionally.

While more than 100 graduate and undergraduate faculty members are nominated each trimester – clearly showing the magnitude of interaction between students and faculty at Franklin University – the faculty members receiving the most nominations are awarded this honor.

These awards are funded through an endowment established by State Auto Insurance Companies in recognition of Robert L. Bailey, who served State Auto for 28 years in various positions, including President, CEO, and Chairman, until his retirement in 2000. Bailey is also a past Chair and a Trustee Emeritus of Franklin University’s Board of Trustees.

About Franklin University

Accredited, nonprofit, and dedicated to educating adults since 1902, Franklin provides onsite course options at our Main Campus in downtown Columbus, Ohio, and is an innovator in providing personalized online education. The University offers applied in-demand undergraduate, masters, and doctorate programs that enable adult learners to achieve their educational and professional goals. Through agreements with partner institutions, the University also offers international academic programs, including its top-ranked MBA.

Franklin University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and holds specialized accreditations for specific academic programs through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education. The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated Franklin University as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE).