Quinsigamond Community College Professor to receive inaugural Dale P. Parnell Distinguished Faculty Award

Quinsigamond Community College Engineering Professor Dadbeh Bigonahy has been chosen as a recipient of the inaugural Dale P. Parnell Distinguished Faculty Award by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). The award is named in honor AACC President and CEO Dale P. Parnell and was established to honor those in academe who are making a difference in the classroom, going above and beyond to ensure student success.

“I feel so honored to work with Dadbeh Bigonahy and this recognition is well-deserved. He has boundless energy and enthusiasm for engineering and is a tireless advocate for his students. Professor Bigonahy is an asset to the QCC community,” said QCC Assistant Vice President for Workforce Readiness and Innovation, Kathy Rentsch.

Professor Bigonahy knows what it’s like to make a difference in a student’s life. For over 30 years he has  devoted his life to educating students, making a point of getting to know each and every one of them – on both an academic-and a personal- level. He is a huge proponent of continuing education and his courses prepare students so that they can readily transition into a four-year institution and be successful.  Many of his students go on to graduate from prestigious four year Colleges and Universities (such as Cornell, John Hopkins, University of Florida, UC Davis and WPI) and engage in extremely successful careers. Former students stay in touch with Professor Bigonahy long after they have left QCC, keeping him abreast of how they are doing. It’s that personal connection, coupled with his teaching style that shines through in each and every class and student who comes in contact with him.

“Our students are not conventional students. They come from many different backgrounds and family situations,” he said, noting that by knowing their personal stories and challenges, he is better equipped to help them succeed.

Originally from Iran, Professor Bigonahy has an electromechanical engineering degree from Tehran Polytechnic University. After a stint as an engineer in Iran he went into the military before working in the manufacturing industry, where he stayed for four years.

“I had thought about going to school in the U.S. then I met an American who was in the Peace Corps,” he said. “He said he knew of an American college in his city and would write a letter of recommendation for me.”

It turned out that city was Worcester and the college was Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

In 1972 Professor Bigonahy and his wife moved to the U.S. and he entered WPI. At WPI, he worked to earn his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, while also serving as a teaching assistant. In 1982 he began teaching at QCC part-time before being promoted to a full-time faculty member.

Today, it is rare not to find Professor Bigonahy on QCC’s campus, either teaching or mentoring a student. Faculty advisors at QCC generally advise a maximum of 20 students, Professor Bigonahy is currently advising over triple that amount. He turns no one away, regardless of whether or not they are in his program.

“The students appreciate what we are doing for them. I tell them QCC is just the beginning,” he added.