League for Innovation Announces Submission Date for 2014 John & Suanne Roueche Excellence Awards

CHANDLER, Ariz. - June 26, 2014 - PRLog -- In 2012, the League for Innovation in the Community College established the John & Suanne Roueche Excellence Awards as a tribute to outstanding contributions and leadership by community college faculty and staff. The awards celebrate excellence in teaching and are open to League Alliance member colleges. The development and implementation of eligibility criteria and selection protocol are customized by member colleges based on their ideals and values of faculty and staff excellence. Recipients receive commemorative medallions and certificates in recognition of their distinguished status and are honored annually at Innovations conference events dedicated to their accomplishments.

John E. and Suanne D. Roueche, leaders in the community college field and early proponents of the idea that teachers have major responsibility for how well students perform in the classroom, have been partners and friends of the League for over thirty-five years. What began as a working relationship with League founders has evolved into a full-fledged partnership through collaborative efforts on projects of mutual interest and national concern.

John Roueche, president of the Roueche Graduate Center, National American University, and co-founder of the Roueche Excellence Awards, said, “It’s a terrific recognition of the quality of work that community colleges do across the country.” According to Dr. Roueche, receiving Excellence Awards is “the very first time for most of these faculty that anyone officially recognized them, thanked them for the tremendous contribution they make to our colleges, to our students, and to our communities.”

At the 2013 Innovations conference, in Dallas, Texas, inaugural Excellence Awards recipients expressed feelings of pride, elation, humility, and inspiration. Kerry Mix, an honoree from San Jacinto Community College in Houston, and former community college student, stated that it felt “amazing” to receive a John & Suanne Excellence Award. “It’s really meaningful to be on the other side of the counter…to help influence (student) lives as those before did for me,” said Mix.

The League looks forward to saluting the 2014 John & Suanne Roueche Excellence Awards recipients at the 2015 Innovations conference in Boston, Massachusetts, March 8-11. On Sunday, March 8, a special Excellence Awards Reception is planned to congratulate honorees for their exemplary achievements. During the keynote address by John and Suanne Roueche on Wednesday, March 11, recipients will stand to have their specially cast medallions donned as part of the Closing Session.

Recipients will also be acknowledged in various print material, photos, and video presentations, including a special Excellence Awards Program listing their names, titles, and college affiliations and featuring congratulatory comments from their home colleges.

The Roueches have long celebrated the contributions of community college faculty and staff, and the League is pleased to partner with them to continue that legacy. Dr. Gerardo de los Santos, League President and CEO, stated that it is important to “continue to recognize and honor those who are in the trenches, who are taking on this incredible responsibility to teach an ever increasing diversity of students.”

Alliance member colleges are invited to submit the names of those at their institutions who exemplify exceptional teaching and leadership for 2014 John & Suanne Roueche Excellence Awards beginning September 2, 2014. The deadline for submission is December 12, 2014.

Participating colleges and systems are encouraged to place an ad in the 2014 Excellence Awards Program to highlight and congratulate recipients. The deadline to submit congratulatory ads is January 16, 2015.

To learn more about the Excellence Awards, visit http://www.league.org/exawards/.

For additional information about the Innovations conference and to register, visit http://www.league.org/innovations/.

About the League for Innovation in the Community College

The League for Innovation in the Community College is an international organization dedicated to catalyzing the community college movement. The League hosts conferences and institutes, develops Web resources, conducts research, produces publications, provides services, and leads projects and initiatives with more than 800 member colleges, 160 corporate partners, and a host of other government and nonprofit agencies in a continuing effort to make a positive difference for students and communities. Information about the League and its activities is available at http://www.league.org/