David L. Archer President | Christian Brothers University website

Dr. Maureen E. O’Brien, Associate Professor of Psychology at Christian Brothers University (CBU), has been recognized with the CBU National Alumni Board Teaching Excellence Award this year.

Dr. O’Brien began her academic journey at CBU as a transfer student in 1991 after spending her freshman year elsewhere. Reflecting on her early days at the university, Dr. O’Brien said, “When I think about CBU and describe what it feels like to me, the words I think of are ‘home’ and ‘family.’ I really just fell in love with it. The people, the teachers, everyone was so warm. The faculty knew my name, and I had never even had them before. CBU feels like a home. Everybody knows you and cares about you.”

Initially interested in pre-law, Dr. O’Brien shifted her focus to psychology after meeting with faculty members at CBU since the university did not offer a pre-law program. During her senior year, she discovered an interest in research methods and statistics courses.

“Senior year, we took research methods and statistics,” Dr. O’Brien recalls. “I loved it. I loved to run stats and test hypotheses. I realized that I love doing this, but I didn’t know what to do with it. I reached out to my advisor, Dr. Beth Nelson, who said, ‘You could do what I do.’”

“I remember saying to her, ‘I want a real job,’ and she replied, ‘This is a real job.’ It was an epiphany. I had never thought about being a professor as a career,” said Dr. O’Brien. “She blew my mind.”

After earning degrees from the University of Memphis and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in psychology-related fields, Dr. O’Brien started teaching at Louisiana State University in Alexandria (LSUA). She maintained connections with CBU during this period.

An opportunity arose when she learned from a former professor that there would be an opening for a social psychologist at CBU; she applied for the position and was offered the job in 2005.

“I applied and interviewed for the position,” said Dr. O’Brien. “Conrad Brombach [a longtime CBU professor in behavioral sciences] called me at my office at LSUA and said they wanted to offer me the job. I think I cried. I started teaching at CBU in August 2005—my dream job.”

This year’s teaching excellence award came after colleagues and former students submitted fifteen pages of recommendations supporting her nomination.

“Maureen is genuinely excited about what she teaches, and she channels that passion into helping students develop not just content knowledge, but deeper thinking about how to ask and answer important questions about their lives and the society they live in,” wrote Dr. Caitlin Mills of the University of Minnesota.

“She makes research relatable by anchoring it in students’ lives and interests," Mills continued."Her classes blend engaging instruction with hands-on activities, and she treats students as active researchers, not passive learners.Further,she provides detailed feedback ,devotes one-on-one time to students,and masterfully balances support with challenge.”

Dr.Tracie Burke ,Professor Emeritus at CBU,and wife of Dr.O'Brien ,also praised her dedication:“One Easter break,I remember her sitting at the dining room table all day long for all five days writing individualized comments for every student on every page of every paper.”

“It was truly a gift to work with Maureen for the past 20 years and daily witness her many contributions to our community,” said Dr.Burke.“Maureen says being a psychology professor at CBU is her dream job—and her dedication to her students and the university bear that out.She is always working to improve her classes—most recently by spending countless hours creating new online mastery exercises for her research and statistics students .Outside the classroom,she is an advocate ,ally,and loving mentor for her advisees ,whom she insists share their every success with her.And finally(against my advice),she serves on a ridiculous number of committees each year.She is the consummate Lasallian ,putting her love for CBU into action every single day,and I am so incredibly proud of her.”

Dr.O'Brien's office is located within CBU's Rosa Deal School of Arts.