TIAA-CREF, the financial services group of companies and leading provider of retirement savings in the academic, research, medical and cultural fields, today announced the University of Colorado at Boulder as the recipient of the 2006 TIAA-CREF Theodore M. Hesburgh Award, which recognizes innovative undergraduate faculty teaching and learning development programs. The university will be honored for its exceptional faculty development programs designed to enhance undergraduate teaching and learning today during a special presentation at the American Council on Education's annual meeting in Los Angeles, California.
"We are proud to honor University of Colorado at Boulder for the way it advances graduate teaching, especially as this winning program looks to cultivate future educators," said Stanley Ikenberry, president of TIAA-CREF's Board of Overseers and Regent Professor and President Emeritus at the University of Illinois. "TIAA-CREF's service to higher education makes it all the more pleasing for us to be able to formally acknowledge effective educational advances like these that are being implemented on campuses and in classrooms."
Established in 1993 by TIAA-CREF and administered by the TIAA-CREF Institute, the Hesburgh Award recognizes faculty development programs that enhance undergraduate teaching and learning and is named in honor of Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame.
University of Colorado at Boulder was chosen as this year's Hesburgh winner for its innovative education program, Lead Graduate Teacher Network, which provides faculty development for advanced graduate students while improving undergraduate teaching across the campus.
Five independent judges with highly distinguished backgrounds in higher education reviewed the entries and selected Lead Graduate Teacher Network as the winner. This year's judges were: Dr. K. Patricia Cross, Professor Of Higher Education, Emerita, University of California, Berkeley; Dr. G. Edward Haring, President, Kellogg Community College; Dr. Margaret Miller, Professor, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia; Dr. Mary Deane Sorcinelli, Associate Provost, Faculty Development, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; and Dr. Gordon Watts, Department of Education Leadership, University of Arkansas, Little Rock.
About Lead Graduate Teacher Network
Implemented in 1992, the Lead Graduate Teacher Network Program was designed to enhance undergraduate teaching and learning through the effective preparation of graduate students to teach in labs, recitations, and classes on campus. It also provided leadership training, advanced pedagogical training, and academic management training. The program focuses on graduate students' ability to perform by providing workshops and courses that address general teaching skills, such as: learning styles, the preparation of syllabi, questioning skills, collaborative learning activities, classroom management, dealing with conflict, and testing and grading.
The program has a tremendous success story to tell. In each of the three years from 2002-2005, data from the University of Colorado Office of Institutional Research and Analysis and from the Graduate Teacher Program have indicated an overwhelmingly positive trend in improvement on three measures: the program participant's ratings on the CU Boulder student evaluations of all faculty; self-perceptions of their performance in classroom teaching; and their undergraduate students' grades in general education courses with multiple sections. In general, feedback received by the university indicates that their graduates view the program as a strong foundation for their success and continue to regard the program as a vital source of support and information.
Hesburgh Certificates of Excellence Winners
In addition to the Hesburgh Award winner, two institutions were selected to receive TIAA-CREF Theodore M. Hesburgh Certificates of Excellence for meritorious faculty development programs. They include:
About TIAA-CREF Institute
The mission of the TIAA-CREF Institute is to foster objective research, to build knowledge, to support thought leadership, and to enhance the understanding of strategic issues related to higher education and lifelong financial security. For additional information regarding, the Theodore M. Hesburgh Award administered by the TIAA-CREF Institute, or other Institute programs, please visit www.tiaa-crefinstitute.org.
About TIAA-CREF
TIAA-CREF is a national financial services organization with more than $370 billion in combined assets under management (12/31/05) and the leading provider of retirement services in the academic, research, medical and cultural fields. Further information can be found at www.tiaa-cref.org.
© 2008 and prior years, Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association - College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF), New York, NY 10017
