Mike Whalen Recognized by the College of Arts and Sciences
Professor Joseph Bayma, S.J., Scholarship Award
In recognition of having established among colleagues and students a well-deserved reputation for productive, meaningful, and rigorous scholarly or creative work, and for having demonstrated the ability to motivate other scholars or artists, teachers and learners.
Mike Whalen is a gifted and tireless filmmaker, a passionate educator, and a generous colleague. His film and television work as a producer, director, and writer spans a wide range of subjects. To name just a few of his film topics, his work has focused on women artists, nuns in pop culture, youth and disability, campus sexual assault, soccer, businesswomen in Latin America, music production, and oil rigs. He has produced television shows for series as varied as Cops, Ancient Mysteries, and Biography.
Mike’s passion and vision have been recognized with numerous awards and festival screenings.
He frequently includes colleagues and students in his creative productions, collaborating with other faculty and training students through hands-on experience on his productions. Mike inspires confidence in students and helps them to realize what they’re capable of. Exactly “what you want in a mentor,” in the words of a colleague. Mike’s work speaks to the importance of perspective and storytelling, of the power of those who wield the camera, and the gendered and racialized politics of the entertainment industry.
Students, friends, and colleagues describe Mike as “wildly optimistic!”, personable, compassionate, helpful, a dream to work with, skilled, and gracious. Over and over again, people note his seemingly boundless generosity as he continues to produce a truly impressive number of award-winning shows and films.
His impressive creative output makes Mike Whalen a most deserving recipient of the 2021 Professor Joseph Bayma, S.J., Award.