Barry-Gerard-Prendergast Welcome to My Personal Web Site!


Barry Gerard Prendergast: Commitment to Education

I have a Bachelor's Degree (BA) in Behavioral Science, with a minor in Human Services (Social Work) and a working certificate in  High-Risk Youth Studies.  My Masters Degree (MA) is in the Sociology and Philosophy of Culture.  My PhD thesis is on the Sociology of Culture.

For the past 15 years, I have worked tirelessly and full-time to better myself and to build a career in education, and I am very proud of my academic accomplishments during this time. I am also very happy and fulfilled in my profession of  teaching and researching in the Social Sciences.  I have received first-rate peer and student references during my time in education and it is my goal to continue to strive for excellence in both teaching and academic research. (See some of my work references below.) 

I love to teach! – It both challenges and inspires me. I always eagerly look forward to each new class and I try my best to facilitate the learning process for both myself and my students as we cover and explore the course curriculum together. As a class, we always discover there is always something new to learn. I make every effort to accommodate and meet each student’s personal academic needs, and on their level of learning, which my students tell me they greatly appreciate.(See recent student responses to my classes and teaching evaluations in the “My Students” link above.)

I believe part of my enthusiasm for teaching is because I believe 100% in the advantages and need for further and higher education.  I, myself, am a product of, and have personally benefited enormously from receiving a higher education.  I believe education is vitally important to not only personal enlightenment and growth but also for the betterment of the greater society and its culture.  To stimulate the learning process, as well as giving breadth and depth to my classes, I make available a variety of educational and multi-cultural resources to all of my students.

Barry Gerard Prendergast: Peer Evaluations of My Work Ethic and Teaching

  • Barry taught for our Sociology Department this last year, as a Visiting Lecturer. In terms                    of my assessment of Barry’s performance I use two major criteria; foremost  teaching and          relations with the students and secondly relations with colleagues.

In terms of his teaching and relationship with students Barry appeared to have very good
rapport with our students. Several of them mentioned to me that they thoroughly enjoyed
his classes, felt he “really knew his stuff,” and intended to take several more classes from him.
His formal student evaluations were also very good.

As to collegial relations, I found Barry most pleasant, always willing to be involved in
departmental activities or affairs and most enjoyable in informal discussions about sociology,
theory or University life. This also extends to his relations with other faculty, where I observed
him having the same positive interaction.  (California State University, Stanislaus)

  • I have been impressed with the kind of work that Mr. Barry Gerard-Prendergast has put into the       additional course work he was been required to take here. His maturity and knowledge  of                 the material was reflected in the good grades that he received from his courses at Metro.                   He was the recipient of our Golden Key award for excellence in Academics (2001), which is a          very high honor at our college and is a National organization for recognizing outstanding students.

As Dean, I had the opportunity to compare him with the 250 plus full-time faculty we have here            at Metro. I see him as an outstanding Instructor. And, I understand his interests in higher       education.  If we had a position that matched his background, I would hire him in a second.                I have seen him teach here in Denver and watched him work with our students. He listens and      follows through on their questions and he understands the urban student. He is willing to work         with students and not only maintain his standards, but bring a very diverse class along with him          at the same time. (Dean, School of Arts & Sciences)

  • Barry has been a lecturer in the Department of Sociology for the past academic year.                  Barry’s duties included teaching a variety of lower and upper division courses that were            formally and informally evaluated. His formal evaluations were very good. He compared         favorably in contrast to national norms on the IDEA form. Not a single class or content                  area was ever below average which is remarkable considering he had the task of teaching                both new preparations as well as courses with which he had past experience. That achievement            is noteworthy because Barry has the ability to jump into new course preparations and perform         well.
His informal evaluations were considerably above average and his courses were          heavily enrolled during his second semester with the Department. His interpersonal              and professional skills are excellent and he is well liked by students, staff, and his colleagues.

I highly recommend giving him close consideration for any position that requires a good         sociologist that deems to be consistent with his professional interests. (Professor of Sociology,           CSU, Stanislaus, CA)
  • Barry Gerard Prendergast is a very intelligent gentleman with immense vision and great          potential.  Barry is very dedicated, friendly, cheerful, and easygoing.  I have known Barry                 for several years and have observed and assisted him with his students and their academic        progress.  I have found him to be a unique instructor in many ways.  He spends extra time         fostering their academic development and personal growth.  I appreciate this very much as                  I share the same philosophy.  And, it is clear that he goes above and beyond the requirements              of his position.  Barry does this because he believes students need support to be successful.
Barry approaches all students in the same manner – he believes that each student is intelligent           and capable, and that they can rise to the occasion – even overcoming previous deficits.  He          takes great care in being fair with his students and makes himself readily available.  Barry             leads class discussion with amazing insight and he engages his students to explore topics            critically with both breadth and depth.  Students emerge from his classes well prepared and         capable of applying the knowledge gained to other disciplines. 

He possesses an underlying strength of character that allows him to set high standards and              goals for himself and then achieve them.  I believe that he will be an asset and make a positive contribution to any educational program or professional endeavor that he engages himself in.              It is with great pleasure, high hopes, and confidence that I recommend Barry to you.            (Department Chair, Colorado Community Colleges System)