BY ALICE HUANG
UCLA Today
You’d expect that someone who recently
had back surgery and is getting around in a wheelchair might
take it easy for a little while.
But UCLA Extension instructor Joe Devanney is
taking shuttles to Extension’s downtown center to teach
two nights a week, working with Extension’s Personal Financial
Planning internship program and preparing to co-teach an online
course.
This kind of devotion is just one indication
of why Devanney has received the continuing education field’s
equivalent of a lifetime achievement award, also known as the
University of Continuing Education Association’s (UCEA)
Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Teaching adults in continuing higher education
programs means working hard to spark the interest of students
who come to class after a demanding day on the job. With an
understanding of his students’ specific needs, Devanney
approaches his courses in such a way that engages students and
supports them fully.
His expertise from decades as a successful insurance
executive and his communication style make him one of Extension’s
most popular and effective teachers.
“Insurance class ... it can be boring,
boring, boring,” explained former student Kitty O’Keefe.
“Then you meet Joe Devanney. With that Irish twinkle in
his eye, his dry wit and a depth of knowledge that astounds,
Joe brings the subject to life.”
Nearly 20 years after he began teaching in UCLA
Extension’s financial planning program, signs of Devanney’s
influence can be found in nearly all of its aspects.
He has helped to shape the curriculum, develop
new courses and start an internship program, and build the UCLA
Extension financial planning certificate program into one of
the largest of its kind in the country with more than 600 students
and 100 graduates per year.
“Joe’s generosity toward his colleagues
and his students and his outstanding reputation in the classroom
— as evidenced by his evaluations and numerous unsolicited
testimonials over the years — have clearly made him first
among equals,” said UCLA Extension Dean Robert Lapiner,
who accepted the teaching award on Devanney’s behalf at
the annual UCEA conference.
This latest honor caps a lifetime of service
and accomplishment for Devanney.
He was attending New York University on a basketball
scholarship in the early 1940s when World War II broke out.
He joined the Army and continued his service through the Korean
and Vietnam wars, retiring as a major in 1983.
Earning a B.A. and M.A. from New York University,
a C.L.U. (Chartered Life Underwriter) from American College
and a P.F.P. (Personal Financial Planner) from UCLA Extension,
Devanney moved through the ranks of several major insurance
companies, serving as an executive for many of his years in
the industry.
Today, Devanney focuses on passing on what he’s
learned in insurance, risk management and financial planning.
“I’m giving back what I was fortunate enough to
learn,” he explained.
