This year’s Faculty Speaker of the Year Associate Professor of Political Science Tricia Mulligan’s bubbly, down-to-earth personality is evident as soon as you’re in her presence.

As the chair of the Political Science department, Mulligan teaches three classes this semester including a class on international law, environmental politics and a class that allows local students to connect to students in the Muslim world.

“This is a class that Iona was accepted to participate in and I’m very proud of the students here that are connecting with students in the Middle East,” said Mulligan.

Mulligan holds a BA in Political Science and Spanish from the College of the Holy Cross, a MA in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin and her Ph.D. in Political Science from George Washington University. If you’re deciding on whom you should choose as your next political science professor, you might consider Mulligan.

Mulligan begins her day at 6:30 a.m. by preparing her lecture notes for that day or writing a letter of recommendation, along with advising 8-10 students on campus.

Along with her duties as head of the Political Science Department, she is also the director of the International Studies program and the moderator for the Iona Model UN Team.

Mulligan will be the faculty speaker at next month’s Honors Convocation and will be presented with the Hugh J. McCabe Award for Social Justice at this year’s commencement.

Mulligan’s most recent project is bringing the “Going Green” initiative to Iona’s campus during what she is calling “Earth Month.”

“It’s more than just Earth Day. We have two big events happening during the month of April as part of an environmental task force,” Mulligan said.

Along with IC Green and the Model UN, Dr. Mulligan will host a C2C screening of “The Island President,” a documentary that shows the efforts of then-Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed and how he defied climate change. The screening, set for April 17, will be followed by an interactive webinar.

Water will be the focus of the other major event on campus as part of Earth Month. Iona College will welcome a UN representative on April 22 who will be speaking about the importance of water in different parts of the world.

Mulligan shows a true passion for every endeavor she pursues. Her commitment to her students is unparalleled, as is expressed by her students.

“Dr. Mulligan’s dedication and motivation has enriched my education and time at Iona so greatly,” said senior Sinead Knightly. “She infuses all of her classes with passion for her subject matter, organizes almost every political science event on campus, advises many students and student groups, runs the Iona Soliya Connect program, the list goes on and on.”

As graduation approaches, Mulligan has a simple yet inspiring message to the class of 2013:

“Be excited and even though you may have a great sense of trepidation, it’s OK. The road will twist and turn, so embrace every opportunity you have. Be sure to have passion because one person really can make a difference. Change really does start with one person.”