SU Community Members Honored with Light of Literacy Awards
Mary Gladys Jones (with the Liz Bellavance Legacy Award); and Patti Tingle of MAC, Inc.
SALISBURY, MD---The Friends of Wicomico Public Libraries recently honored Salisbury University’s Dr. Anjali Pandey, Susan Canfora and Eleanor Brown during its 2019 Light of Literacy Awards.
Pandey, an applied linguist from SU’s English Department, was named the Higher Education Luminary. The award honors an individual whose actions demonstrate a passion for literacy in post-high school education or training.
She is author and director of SU’s TARGET program, which trains educators in over 150 area-schools to work with multilingual students. It is funded by a national grant and enables educators to obtain linguistically embedded coursework on emerging multiliteracies free of charge.
Canfora, adjunct faculty in SU’s Communication Arts Department, was named the Adult Luminary. The award honors an individual whose actions demonstrate leadership and a passion for literacy in the community.
She was praised for her role as a local journalist with the Salisbury Independent and as an advocate for the English language.
Senior social work and political science major Eleanor Brown of Ijamsville, MD, was named the Student Luminary. The award honors a student whose actions demonstrate leadership and a commitment to community. Brown has been a facilitator in SU’s weekly Eastern Shore Correctional Institution book discussion program for three years. She also has taught English internationally in India, South Africa, and Thailand.
In addition to her Light of Literacy award, she has been named the National Association of Social Workers-Maryland B.A. in Social Work Student of the Year, and received SU’s Outstanding Student Poster Award and the Girl Scout Gold and Silver awards. She also is an active member of SU’s Student United Way.
SU alumna Kelly Dorman ’97 and her sister, Amber, both were named the Educator Luminary. This award is given to individuals whose actions demonstrate a passion for literacy in education.
Several campus members also were Light of Literacy nominees, including SU student Ben Pereboom for the Student Luminary Award and Dr. Koomi Kim, associate professor of literacy studies, for the Higher Education Luminary Award. Nominated for the STEM Literacy Award were Dr. Chrys Egan, professor of communication arts, and Mary Angela Baker, director of the Center for Extended and Lifelong Learning (CELL), for their work with the SU Youth Innovation Academy.
SU alumnus Doug Martin, senior engineer for the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority gave the keynote address at the ceremony, introduced by SU Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Karen Olmstead. Dr. Maida Finch, SU associate professor of literacy studies, also attended as chair of the Libraries’ board of trustees. Founded in 2013, the Light of Literacy Awards recognize local organizations and individuals who support literacy and education.
For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU website.