Conners given Faculty Appreciation Award

SALISBURY, MD ---Salisbury University's Alumni Association recently presented Dr. Keith Conners, professor of education in the Seidel School of Education and Professional Studies, with its Faculty Appreciation Award during Fall Convocation ceremonies. One faculty member in each of SU's four schools received the award.

Conners, who earned his bachelor's degree in French from Middlebury College, has taught at SU since 1976. He received both his master's in education and doctorate in professional higher education administration from the University of Connecticut.

As professor of education and former dean of the Samuel W. and Marilyn C. Seidel School of Education and Professional Studies, Conners has been instrumental in implementing a Professional Development School (PDS) partnership between Salisbury University and Worcester County Public Schools. He has supervised SU student teachers and, in support of the intent of PDS, taught University courses on-site in Worcester County. Conners has also pioneered flexible instruction and student teaching schedules designed to better meet the needs of working adults and the public school system alike.

One of Conners' former students said, "He once wrote on a paper of mine that I was a lot smarter than I give myself credit for. That one sentence I carried with me all these years and I will always remember him for it."

Each school's selection committee consisted of last year's award recipients, one other faculty member chosen by the dean, and three alumni from that school, each having different majors, backgrounds and experiences. Nominated professors must have taught full-time 10 or more years at SU, and must have made lasting and significant contributions to their graduates' lives.

Alumni Relations Director Roy Perdue said, "We feel this is one of the highest honors a faculty member can receive-one coming from their former students. We are proud that the University's high standards in the classroom have a lasting effect on our alumni."