For Immediate Release

Contact:
Debra Humphreys, Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs
Humphreys@aacu.org
202.884.7422

Eight Graduate Students Honored with K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award

Students Recognized for Commitment to Academic and Civic Responsibility and Promise as Future Leaders of Higher Education

Washington, DC–January 11, 2012–The Association of American Colleges and Universities announced today the 2012 recipients of the annual K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award. This award recognizes graduate students who show exemplary promise as future leaders of higher education; who demonstrate a commitment to developing academic and civic responsibility in themselves and in others; and whose work reflects a strong emphasis on teaching and learning. The award is named in honor of K. Patricia Cross, professor of higher education, emerita, at the University of California, Berkeley.

The 2012 recipients are:

Benjamin L. Castleman, Quantitative Policy Analysis, Harvard University Graduate School of Education
Sarah L. Eddy, Zoology, Oregon State University
Natalie Fixmer-Oraiz, Communication Studies, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Alexander Igor Olson, American Culture, University of Michigan
Ashley E. Palmer, Sociology, Baylor University
Ghanashyam Sharma, Rhetoric and Composition, University of Louisville
Martha Althea Webber, English (Writing Studies), University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Timothy Wong, Comparative Literature, University of California, Irvine

These individuals were chosen from a pool of more than 270 nominations in a rigorous process  through which they demonstrated their leadership ability or potential for exercising leadership in teaching and learning, and their strong commitment to academic and civic responsibility.

 “AAC&U is honored to continue its role in identifying and celebrating these inspiring young leaders,” said AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider.

“This is another stellar year for the future of faculty leadership," said K. Patricia Cross. "Of more than 270 nominations by 123 institutions across a wide range of academic disciplines, the eight award recipients include an impressive number of Outstanding Teaching  Awards, a wide variety of experiences serving local and worldwide communities, and a demonstrated concern for the development of others. It is heartwarming to see these impressive and dedicated teachers join the faculties of our colleges and universities, and it is especially appropriate that AAC&U should take the lead in recognizing future faculty leaders."

“The selection process for the Cross Award always allows me to reflect on the significant contributions that Pat Cross has made to higher education in general, and to the undergraduate students that higher education serves,” said L. Lee Knefelkamp, AAC&U senior scholar, professor of psychology and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and a member of the award selection committee. “This year's nominees also allowed me to reflect on the contributions these young leaders are making to the social fabric of our nation as a whole. They, like Pat Cross, seem never to lose sight of the personal, communal, and societal good that comes from taking a liberal education seriously. No single scholar has been more generative to higher education than Pat Cross—through her intellect, her commitments to the scholarship of teaching, her refusal of the false dichotomy between research and teaching, and her great generativity toward the emerging generation of new scholars. It is always a joy to be a part of this endeavor.”

The 2012 Cross Scholars will be introduced to the AAC&U community at its 2012 Annual Meeting, “SHARED FUTURES / DIFFICULT CHOICES: Reclaiming a Democratic Vision for College Learning, Global Engagement, and Success,” to be held in Washington, DC, from January 25-28, 2012. The 2012 Cross Scholars will be honored at the Opening Plenary. They will also be presenters in the session “Faculty of the Future: Voices from the Next Generation – A Conversation with the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders.” The Cross awardees will participate in other sessions and meetings throughout the conference.

For more information about AAC&U, its Annual Meeting, or the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award, visit www.aacu.org.

About AAC&U

AAC&U is the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and public standing of undergraduate liberal education. Its members are committed to extending the advantages of a liberal education to all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career. Founded in 1915, AAC&U now comprises more than 1,200 member institutions—including accredited public and private colleges, community colleges, and universities of every type and size.

AAC&U functions as a catalyst and facilitator, forging links among presidents, administrators, and faculty members who are engaged in institutional and curricular planning. Its mission is to reinforce the collective commitment to liberal education at both the national and local levels and to help individual institutions keep the quality of student learning at the core of their work as they evolve to meet new economic and social challenges.

Information about AAC&U membership, programs, and publications can be found at www.aacu.org.