In May 2025, the Connecticut Board of Regents (BOR) named 12 Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) faculty members as recipients of the annual 2024-25 Board of Regents Faculty Awards.
The awards, which recognize CSCU faculty for excellence in teaching or research, are given to assistant and associate professors in tenure-track or tenured positions and adjunct faculty members. These faculty have distinguished themselves as outstanding teachers; are doing exceptional research, scholarly, and/or creative work in the classroom; and have established a track record of promoting instructional improvements for their departments.
Campus-based award categories include Teaching, Research, and Scholarly Excellence throughout the CSCU system. There is also a single system-wide award in Teaching, Research, and Scholarly Excellence given to an individual faculty member among the campus-based award nominations. A system-level Adjunct Faculty Teaching Award recognizes adjunct faculty.
For 2024-25, Laurie Bonjo, associate professor of counseling and school psychology, is the recipient of the Teaching Award for Southern Connecticut State University.
Bonjo joined the Department of Counseling and School Psychology in 2017, and she has been recognized by several professional organizations for excellence in teaching and mentoring. She is the 2023 Counselor Educator of the Year for the American Mental Health Counseling Association and the 2024 Counselor Educator of the Year for the Connecticut Counseling Association, and she was recognized as the National Mentor of the Year in two different years by the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender-Expansive Identities in Counseling (SAIGE).
At Southern, Bonjo developed and implemented the first CACREP-accredited doctoral program in counselor education and supervision in New England and served as its inaugural program coordinator. She has taught a range of courses, primarily at the master’s and doctoral levels and is active as a mentor and dissertation advisor.
Bonjo views teaching “as a partnership with co-learners, grounded in mutual respect, critical reflection, and a commitment to social justice.” In her student-facing work, she says, “I strive to liberate from traditional classroom structures of power and privilege to build learning communities and teacher-student relationships that create opportunities for students to safely take risks leading to growth and empowerment through project-based and applied experiential learning.”
Bonjo received multiple nominations and letters of support for the teaching award. One colleague wrote, “Dr. Bonjo finds the outstanding individual qualities in each of her students and nurtures their growth and progress through the many hurdles of the educational process.”
Another colleague spoke of Bonjo’s “extraordinarily diligent work in teaching, her students’ learning outcomes, her creativity and wisdom, and her generosity in sharing teaching materials and experiences with colleagues and students.”
Students spoke of Bonjo in superlatives, one writing that she “has inspired me and encouraged me like no other” and that Bonjo “goes above and BEYOND for their students.” Another described her as “vibrant, innovative, and collaborative” and “masterful at her craft.”
Commenting on her award, Bonjo said, “I am so fortunate to have students who see me the way that those students do. I am so proud of each of them. Seeing them actualize their goals and make their dreams into reality is MY dream come true. Cheering them on as they move through the milestones of their coursework and comprehensive exams and the dissertation process is magical. One of the students who graduated last year was just hired with a tenure track position at the university where I worked before I came to Southern — she will start this August, essentially doing the job I was doing when I met her as a master’s student. Several others are currently being interviewed for faculty positions. I love seeing my Owls taking flight!”
“The outstanding work of our faculty exemplifies the highest standards of academic excellence, innovation, and impact on our students,” said CSCU Chancellor Terrence Cheng. “We are proud to celebrate the accomplishments of these 12 exceptional educators, researchers, and scholars, as their dedication transforms lives and contributes to student success throughout the CSCU system.”
