Last weekend, CRLT Executive Director Connie Cook was honored by the POD Network, the main national professional organization for teaching center directors and other educational development professionals. The group's highest honor, the "Spirit of POD Award" is given annually to an outstanding leader and innovator in the field.    

In the tribute read about Connie Cook at the group's annual meeting, she was lauded for her many influential publications and her generous mentorship of teaching center colleagues around the country. She was recognized in particular for her central role in "shaping the dialogue and teaching development programming on multiculturalism and diversity through her advocacy of inclusion in the work of her own Center, through a unique and wonderfully innovative theatre program with national reach, and through strong international outreach to China and other countries." She was characterized by her nominators as "a giant in our field."

The award citation also highlighted Connie's strong support for innovation and excellence here at CRLT, the oldest and one of the largest teaching centers in the country. As one nominator wrote of the annual national conference, "I know that no matter what the topic is, she and her Center colleagues will offer a top-notch session from which I’ll learn a great deal." Indeed, Connie's leadership was reflected in other accolades received by CRLT at this year's conference, including a POD Innovation Award won by Assistant Directors Erping Zhu and Meg Bakewell for their development of a format for online teaching workshops for busy faculty and graduate students. The CRLT Players also performed to great applause at a plenary session attended by more than 500 conference participants.

All of us here at CRLT congratulate Connie and thank her for her inspiring leadership over many years!