Dear SEHD colleagues:
Every year during annual review season, I have the pleasure of working with Dean Emeritus, Lynn Rhodes to select a member of the faculty whose service to the School meets the criteria of the Rhodes Faculty Award. This year, we have selected Dr. Lori Ryan, Associate Clinical Professor of Early Childhood Education, as the 2018 awardee.
The Lynn K. Rhodes Faculty Award, established in 2008 by Dean Emeritus Lynn Rhodes, honors talented faculty who lend their expertise and energy to increasing the benefit of the School for its own faculty, as well as to the communities served by the faculty and the School’s graduates. It recognizes that faculty who make the most difference are those who selflessly volunteer to take informal or formal leadership roles and who lend their expertise and energy to others so that more faculty can make a difference. Lori joins Sally Nathenson-Mejia, Alan Davis, Nancy Shanklin, Ruben Anguiano and Diane Estrada as esteemed recipients.
During the 2018-19 service year, Lori fully embodied the spirit of this award by demonstrating exceptional performance as a faculty member. Among her many significant contributions to the SEHD community are her service on the Program Leaders team and her leadership of three successful searches for new faculty members in early childhood. Not only did she recruit three outstanding faculty colleagues to our School, she also supported their onboarding and mentored them during their critical first year in the program.
Lori’s service to the BA and MA programs in early childhood, as well as to the prestigious Buell Early Childhood Leadership Program (BECLP) funded by the Buell Foundation, are also most valued. This year was the 10th anniversary of the BECLP program and Lori led a fantastic celebration that brought a great deal of recognition to the SEHD. In addition, her support of the review and revision of the partnership program with Boulder Journey School was another important achievement this year.
Lori’s insights, leadership and hard work on SEHD committees have been invaluable to me, her colleagues, and the School. In addition, she demonstrates unyielding commitment to CU Denver by her high level of responsiveness to the School’s needs and requests. I greatly appreciate her commitment to her students, who in return are so appreciative of her mentorship and support.
Please join me in congratulating Lori on this well-deserved honor!
Warm Regards,
Rebecca Kantor
Dean and Professor