50 Years of Teaching Excellence — Celebrating Dr. Clifford O'Beirne

May 09, 2016

On Sunday, April 24, Cliff "Doc" O'Beirne was honored with a surprise celebration of his service to UW-Whitewater over the last 50 years. Family and friends, colleagues and current and former members of the Nursing Home Visitation Program team gathered to thank him for his exceptional teaching and service to the university. O'Beirne was hired in 1966 to develop the graduate program in school psychology; he was the Director of the School Psychology Program until 1977. During that time period, O'Beirne completed his Ph.D. in school psychology at UW-Madison, having completed his master's degree at Peabody University and his bachelor's degree at UW-Superior. It was also during that time that O'Beirne discovered his passion for working with undergraduate students, and his desire to provide service through the Nursing Home Visitation Program. It is estimated that O'Beirne has worked with more than 20,000 students in his classrooms and many more thousands through the NHVP.  

O'Beirne has been the volunteer director of the NHVP since its inception in 1976. Each week during the fall and spring semesters, approximately 200 student volunteers visit residents in area nursing homes; they establish meaningful and lasting relationships. Current and former students report that their lives are changed forever because of their involvement in that program. NHVP is the largest program of its kind in the country.  

O'Beirne has been honored with many teaching and service awards, including the W.P. Roseman Excellence in Teaching Award in 1992; there is a teaching award in the psychology department named after O'Beirne. And for him, the reward is the relationships he gets to form with his students and the opportunity he has to make a difference in their lives.