Roland Bessette wins Kelley-Willits Award

Roland Bessette, an adjunct faculty member with Penn State World Campus in the School of Labor and Employment Relations, has been selected as the 2024 recipient of the Kelley-Willits Award for Excellence in Online Teaching. This award, established in 2011, recognizes instructors in the school’s online programs in labor and human resources, organizational leadership, and human resources and employment relations who demonstrate outstanding teaching, care for students, and a commitment to the school’s mission of preparing students for successful careers.

Rex Simpson, professor of practice and the inaugural Kelley-Willits Award winner, praised Bessette’s extensive background in labor relations and legal matters, along with his exceptional teaching record, stating that Bessette was a unanimous choice among the selection committee.

Bessette holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Wayne State University and a juris doctorate from Michigan State University where he was editor of the Labor Law Journal on Law Review. He built a long career with the Department of Veterans Affairs, where he served as Senior Legal Officer for over 25 years, specializing in labor law, discrimination, and medical malpractice issues. In this role, he led a team of attorneys and provided legal counsel on complex regulatory matters. Additionally, he was appointed as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney from 1987 to 2013.

Since joining Penn State in 2015, Bessette has taught several courses, including Labor and Employment Law and Comparative and International Employment Law, bringing practical, real-world experience to his teaching. His teaching philosophy emphasizes student engagement, responsiveness, and encouraging students to understand the complexities of employment law and human resources. He challenges students to think critically about how the law is depicted in the media, how it functions in practice, and the outcomes it delivers, often pushing them beyond their comfort zones to deepen their understanding.

Bessette values creating a collegial and interactive online learning environment, using weekly video sessions to maintain a personal connection with his students. He emphasizes the dignity of all work and appreciates how Penn State’s ethos of “doing things the right way” aligns with his own values, which he brings into his teaching approach.