Franklin University Announces Summer 2025 Robert L. Bailey Teaching Award Recipients

Contact:

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

As Franklin University proudly celebrates its 180th Commencement on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, at 2 p.m. (ET), the University honors the dedicated educators who play a pivotal role in the success of its graduates. Congratulations to this trimester’s Robert L. Bailey Teaching Award recipients, Dr. Donald DeMoulin and Paul Sweeney, who exemplify Franklin’s commitment to providing impactful and personalized education to working adults.

Graduate Bailey Award Winner
Dr. Donald DeMoulin has been teaching introductory and advanced statistics at Franklin University since 2023. His philosophy of teaching is to ensure that students have the necessary tools to be successful in class and in life. Don personalizes the learning experience by giving constructive feedback, clearly stating class expectations, and helping students develop lifelong knowledge and skills. Over the course of his career, Dr. DeMoulin has worn many hats: classroom teacher, building principal and district superintendent. A well-respected member in the education and business communities, he has also been lead or co-author of more than 150 research articles in referred journals, nine books, and several technical journals and course guides along with more than 250 local, regional, national and international research presentations.

Undergraduate Bailey Award Winner
Paul Sweeney has been teaching undergraduate and graduate human resources courses at Franklin for nearly 20 years. His teaching style is that of a coach, encourager and mentor, while actively engaging the students with application to real-world human resources issues. His 40-year career included roles as human resources director, and international compensation and benefits director. Paul earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Ohio State University and holds a Senior in Human Resources certification from the Society for Human Resources. A father of three, grandfather of four and an avid disc golfer, Paul lives with his wife, Mary, in Sydney, Ohio.  

Explore Excellence in Teaching
Watch this trimester's Robert L. Bailey Teaching Award recipients share their inspiring acceptance speeches here: franklin.edu/commencement.

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).