HFC’s Nahla Haidar wins MichMATYC’s Teaching Excellence Award

Earlier this year, Associate Dean of the HFC School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Nahla Haidar won the 2025 Teaching Excellence Award from the Michigan Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (MichMATYC).

“I am truly humbled and grateful for this award,” said Haidar. “I found out I won on a Friday afternoon while I was at a restaurant having dinner with my husband and my sister.”

Since 1999, the MichMATYC Teaching Excellence Award has recognized the high quality of instruction at Michigan’s two-year colleges. The selection criteria include instructional effectiveness and support of students, professional involvement and professional development activities, interaction with colleagues, and service to department and college.

“I was genuinely surprised,” said Haidar. “Other nominees from community colleges across Michigan are working as hard as I do. I do this work because every student, regardless of their background, deserves a chance at a quality and successful education. I never thought about receiving an award; my real reward is hearing students’ success stories after working with me.”

Embodying the spirit of teaching excellence

HFC mathematics instructor Sam Bazzi nominated Haidar for the award.

“Nahla’s teaching career is a true reflection of the ideals this award is intended to recognize: Superior instructional performance, a profound dedication to student achievement, active professional commitment, and significant departmental and College service,” said Bazzi. “Nahla embodies the spirit of teaching excellence through her unwavering commitment to her students, her College, and the broader mathematical education community.”

He continued: “Her teaching approach is student-centered, empathetic, and profoundly effective. From developmental math to Calculus III, she fosters a learning environment where students not only grasp mathematical concepts but also gain confidence in their academic journey. Her holistic view of education supports the whole student through academic growth and life skills development. As one colleague shared, she helps students learn math skills as well as life skills. She leaves a lasting impression.”

HFC mathematics instructor Scott Barnett is a previous award recipient from 2021. He wholeheartedly agreed with Bazzi that Haidar deserves this award.

“While HFC's Mathematics department and others across the state have many outstanding faculty, I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this recognition than Nahla. Her patience with students, while still holding them accountable for learning, is remarkable,” said Barnett.

Elevating colleagues, the department, and students

The fourth of six children, Haidar was born in the Republic of Senegal, West Africa. She immigrated to the United States in 1988 and speaks fluent English, Arabic, and French. Haidar resides in Dearborn Heights with Nazeh, her husband of 35 years. They have two adult daughters: Yasmine, an attorney, and Sarah, a school counselor.

Haidar completed her secondary education overseas. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from the Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Senegal. She later earned a second master’s degree in pure mathematics from Wayne State University. Haidar completed all but her dissertation toward a doctorate in mathematics at Wayne State.

At Wayne State in the early 2000s, while teaching in the Emerging Scholars Program, Haidar met Gillian John. John is Haidar’s predecessor in the role of Associate Dean. She retired from HFC at the end of the 2024-25 academic year.

“Nahla’s generosity with her time and expertise has elevated only individual instructors and the department as a whole,” said John.

Valuable opportunities to support student growth

Haidar discovered her gift for mathematics during middle school.

“I had a good math teacher who really motivated me and let me learn math in a way I understood,” she said. “I excelled in math in both middle and high school. I won the State Exam in Mathematics and Physics, where I got recognized by the governor of the state. Education is affordable in West Africa.”

For more than 30 years, Haidar has worked in higher education. She taught at Lawrence Technological University and Wayne State before coming to the College in 2006. She became the Associate Dean at the beginning of the 2025-26 academic year. She reports to Dean Janice Gilliland.

“I want to thank Sam Bazzi for his nomination and all the HFC mathematics faculty for their continued support,” said Haidar. “Being recognized for the work I do means a great deal to me. HFC represents the community I live in, and I am proud to be a part of it. I have been very fortunate to work in a department where faculty support is exceptional. I hope that we continue providing valuable opportunities to support students’ growth.”

Helping students rediscover confidence and sense of purpose

Haidar previously served as coordinator of developmental courses. When developmental courses were no longer offered, the Mathematics department created gateway courses, designed for at-risk students, which she also taught.

“What stands out about Nahla is how deeply she cares – not just about whether students can solve an equation, but whether they believe they can. She has this rare ability to meet students exactly where they are and walk with them until they find their footing. Even outside the classroom, she’s mentoring instructors, building student support spaces, and shaping how we think about teaching and learning at our College,” said Bazzi. “If you’ve ever had the privilege of seeing Nahla teach, you know her classroom is more than just a place to learn math; it’s a place where students rediscover their confidence and sense of purpose. One student wrote, ‘I used to hate math, but now I actually enjoy it, thanks to her.’ Another said simply, ‘You restored my confidence.’ Her engaging teaching style and genuine care for her students inspire confidence and motivation, and she is widely admired by students for her unwavering dedication to their growth and achievement."

Haidar served as the Quantitative Literacy Institutional Learning Outcome (ILO) Representative for the Committee for the Assessment of Student Learning (CASL) for three years. She has also served on the Women in STEM Committee and the Council of World Cultures (CWC) Committee. She invited physicians from Doctors Without Borders to speak at HFC.

Bazzi noted that in Haidar’s office, there is an overabundance of chocolates and candy awaiting visitors. He joked that a spoonful of sugar really does help the medicine – or mathematics in this case – go down.

“Nahla, your compassion, your dedication, and – yes – your endless supply of chocolate reminds us that great teaching is not just about what we teach; it’s about how we make others feel capable of learning,” said Bazzi. “You’ve made all of us at Henry Ford College proud!”