Patricia McNeal's development as a teacher is intimately linked to the growth of the Women's Studies Program she established at IUSB and the 16 new courses that now constitute the core curriculum of the program.

Under her leadership, the program has sought a meaningful integration of intellectual content and personal experience and, thus, has achieved the highest aims of education: to empower students to take charge of their own lives.

"McNeal's energies and enthusiasms as a teacher are not contained by disciplinary boundaries, the walls of the classroom or the gates of the campus. Like all good teachers, McNeal is a lifelong student and a great resource for her colleagues. Whenever she discovers a new methodology or pedagogy, she brings it to the campus as a whole. One of her strengths is to bring people together, creating new and productive collaborations, sharing resources, offering support," said Eileen Bender, professor of English at IUSB. "Many faculty strive throughout their careers to be good teachers. Pat McNeal has taken on a larger agenda: to enlarge the possibilities of learning and her own discipline, not only for herself, but for others."