Barbara Ann Intriligator, professor emeritus and a founder of the educational leadership doctoral program, died peacefully on April 8.
Intriligator was a valued member of the UHart community for 33 years, arriving on campus as an associate professor in 1991, later playing an instrumental role in developing the Ed.D program, and then earning faculty emeritus status upon her retirement in 2012.
Dedicating her academic and professional life to education, Intriligator was passionate about the educational leadership program—and the success of each student in it.
“A staunch supporter of the University of Hartford and a strong advocate for the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership for Social Justice, Dr. Intriligator studied interorganizational relationships and arrangements,” says Karen Case, associate professor of administration and supervision in ENHP. “She heavily involved doctoral students in her research, shepherding graduate students through to the dissertation process. Dr. Intriligator expected excellence. She was steadfast in her teaching and advising, and with exacting standards helped shape the program to continue her legacy of quality and distinction.”
However, her contributions to campus went far beyond the Ed.D program.
“Dr. Barbara Intriligator was a key player and supporter of the development of the University of Hartford Magnet School—an interdistrict school that brought leaders and then children and families together from seven area school districts,” explains Professor Emeritus Regina Miller. “This 10-year planning and then building project was an effort that involved University of Hartford faculty and leadership in work that required much learning about governmental rules and regulations and the ways in which each partner city and town achieve this vision. The school is living proof that hard work and collaboration can make great things happen.”
Always eager to share her expertise with the academic community, Intriligator authored multiple papers, including “Establishing Interorganizational Structures That Facilitate Successful School Partnerships,” a 1992 organizational framework for establishing effective partnerships between school systems, social service providers, universities, and the private sector.
At the end of the day, though, students knew they were priority number one.
“The best words to describe Barbara Intriligator was she was quite a character, a force like a mother bear,” shares Randi Ashton-Pritting M’98, D’03, who retired in 2021 as director of Harrison Libraries and earlier went through the Ed.D program. “Basically, don’t mess with her students. She opened her personal library to her students as well as her wealth of knowledge and information. To me, Barbara became not only my advisor—but my mentor and my friend. She opened her home, her heart, and her time to me as well as many others. When I got bogged down with my dissertation, Barbara helped to “unbog” me with a not-so-gentle push (more like a shove).”