Michelson IP Educator of Excellence award goes to 2 STCC professors

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Springfield Technical Community College professors Diane Sabato and John Diffley received the Michelson IP Educator of Excellence award.

Sabato, an STCC business professor, and Diffley, an attorney and history professor, have been working on the intellectual property educational initiative since 2020. STCC was one of only five colleges nationwide with faculty accepted into the Michelson IP (Intellectual Property) Educator in Residence Initiative. The Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property and the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) selected Sabato and Diffley for the project.

Geraldine de Berly, vice president of Academic Affairs at STCC, said, "It is wonderful to have our faculty recognized for their efforts to provide colleagues with professional development at the national level." 

Judy Fox, director of the Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property, said in a blog: “These faculty partners went above and beyond during their tenure as NACCE & Michelson IP (educators-in-residence) to create and implement additional tools, workshops, trainings, networking, and publicity opportunities for IP among the community college population, with great success.”

Among their accomplishments was moving IP education and Michelson into the national conversation, Fox said. They published an article in the Western New England Law Review.

Sabato and Diffley have been collaborating with four other educators focusing on a mission to deliver intellectual property education. They joined faculty from institutions in New Jersey, Florida, California and New Mexico.

Intellectual property refers to inventions and human creations such as literary and artistic works, designs, symbols and names and images used in commerce.

Sabato taught intellectual property concepts in an entrepreneurship class at STCC. Diffley brought the historical perspective of Springfield as an innovation hub and the capacity to implement campus-wide initiatives, initially, through the Honors Program.

It means so much to us and affirms the work that we've been doing to promote Intellectual property for our students and others across the country. Diane Sabato, STCC professor of business

"Being selected as the winners of the IP Educator of Excellence Award 2022 … was an unexpected and humbling honor for Professor John Diffley and myself,” Sabato said. “It means so much to us and affirms the work that we've been doing to promote Intellectual property for our students and others across the country. IP awareness and education is particularly important for community college students as it can be a critical factor for them in recognizing, claiming and protecting the value of the products of their own minds. IP can hold the key for them to build wealth, grow entrepreneurial ventures and add value to the world around them."

Diffley said providing access to the understanding of IP helps support STCC’s equity agenda and prepares students for success in an increasingly digital world and economy.

“It was an absolute honor and privilege to be asked by Diane to join this project.  I am immensely proud of the work we did, and even more so to be recognized with this award, in support of spreading IP education,” Diffley said.

Richard Greco, dean of the School of Liberal and Professional Studies, congratulated them for receiving the award and for their hard work and dedication.

"Professors Sabato and Diffley both have a passion for innovation. Their work with the Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property and NACCEE extends beyond the mission at STCC to support students as they transform their lives, and adds to the body of scholarship in the field of Intellectual Property.  We are proud of their scholarship.” Greco said. “They also are helping to make Springfield and the Pioneer Valley an innovation hub.”

NACCE, in partnership with the Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property, an initiative of the Michelson 20MM Foundation, in September 2020 announced the acceptance of STCC and the other four institutions into the newly launched IP Educator in Residence Initiative. The Michelson Institute for Intellectual Property (Michelson IP) addresses critical gaps in intellectual property education to empower the next generation of inventors and entrepreneurs.

NACCE is an organization of educators, administrators, presidents and entrepreneurs focused on igniting entrepreneurship in their communities and campuses. NACCE has over 340 member colleges, representing nearly 2,500 members and approximately 3.3 million students.

STCC played a key role in the founding of the NACCE organization in 2002. STCC created the Entrepreneurial Institute, which focused on various aspects of entrepreneurship education. The STCC initiative drew interest from other community colleges, leading to the idea of NACCE.

Interested in applying to STCC? Visit stcc.edu/apply or call Admissions at (413) 755-3333.

About Springfield Technical Community College

STCC, the Commonwealth's only technical community college, continues the pioneering legacy of the Springfield Armory with comprehensive and technical education in manufacturing, STEM, healthcare, business, social services, and the liberal arts. STCC's highly regarded workforce, certificate, degree, and transfer programs are the most affordable in Springfield and provide unequaled opportunity for the vitality of Western Massachusetts. Founded in 1967, the college – a designated Hispanic Serving Institution – seeks to close achievement gaps among students who traditionally face societal barriers. STCC supports students as they transform their lives through intellectual, cultural, and economic engagement while becoming thoughtful, committed and socially responsible graduates.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jim Danko, (413) 755-4812, jdanko@stcc.edu

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