IU school of education professor to receive award

The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators will present an award to an IU School of Education professor in March during its annual meeting \nin Boston.\nGeorge Kuh, the founder of the National Survey of Student Engagement, a widely used annual study of effective educational practices in undergraduate education, is considered a national leader in addressing and improving the quality of undergraduate education, according to an IU press release.\n“I’m pleased and humbled to have been chosen,” Kuh said in the release.\nKuh said in the release that the award acknowledges his leadership of the project “because the number of institutions using the survey grew so quickly and has such an influence on how people think about and talk about undergraduate education today.”\nThe survey began in 2000 with 276 colleges and universities participating, according to the release. More than 600 colleges took part in the most recent survey, which obtained responses from 313,000 college students.\nKuh explained that the study is important because it creates \nother surveys.\n“These ideas about engagement – they transcend sector, they transcend levels of education,” he said in the release. “The ideas matter across all these levels, and it’s been fun to be a part of bringing that to the public’s attention.”\nLast November, the survey began a partnership with USA Today, which features survey findings and student responses as a way to better inform the public about college quality, according to the press release.\nKuh ended his tenure as director of the survey Dec. 31, 2007 according to the press release.\nThe award from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, which recognizes national leaders in higher education, has been no stranger to IU.\nPrevious recipients include former IU president and current NCAA president Myles Brand, former IU Dean of Students Robert Shaffer and Elizabeth Greenleaf, former director of residence life at IU, according to the press release.\n“Professor Kuh is exceedingly deserving of this award,” said Gerardo M. Gonzalez, university dean of the IU School of Education, in the release.\nGonzalez said in the release that Kuh stands as a giant among giants of higher education leaders who have had major national and international impact in the field.\n“He certainly has contributed immeasurably to the excellence for which our higher education program is known,” Gonzalez said. \nFor more information about the survey, visit http://nsse.iub.edu.