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1/24/2005
Contact: K.E. Schwab --
724-738-2199; e-mail: karl.schwab@sru.edu
SRU HONORS STUDENT,
FACULTY WITH REV. M.L. KING, JR., CIVIL LEADERSHIP
AWARDS
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Rev. Martin Luther
King, Jr., Day of Service program held Monday at Slippery Rock
University saw three faculty members and a student presented the
annual Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil Leadership Award in
honor of their outstanding involvement and community
leadership.
This year’s recipients are:
Ebony Bishop, a sociology major from Erie cited for her service
as a Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service volunteer, her
work as an Ameri-Corps member of the health and human service team
and as an Ameri-Corps project leader at the Atlanta [Ga.]
Women’s Shelter, coordinator of SRU’s Building Bridges
Program, which helps teach about appreciating campus diversity, a
member of the SRU Black Action Society, a junior mentor in
SRU’s Office of Intercultural Programs and a student trained
in “Safe Zone,” enabling her to communicate effectively
with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, and her work
as a member of the National Coalition Building Institute, and other
activities.
Dr. Steven
Doherty,assistant professor
of parks and recreation/environmental education, cited for his work
with ALTER, a volunteer group associated with SRU’s Robert A.
Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research, and
the university’s master’s program in sustainable
systems. He was nominated for his work that provides a component of
sustainability that includes social justice, including development
of awareness, support and respect for ideas and philosophies that
come from across the strata of modern society. Last spring, he
delivered a number of speeches in support of global peace, and he
has been instrumental in bringing a number of philosophers and
social leaders to campus for seminars and lectures. Last fall, he
organized an on-campus movie series covering topics of peace,
social justice and cultural diversity.
Dr. Patrick
Grant,professor of special
education, was nominated for his work as chair of the Student
Council for Exceptional Children, coordinator of SRU’s
Community Programs for Americans with Disabilities Program and for
his mentoring of incoming African-American freshmen. He was cited
for his committee work as a member of various national, state and
local committees that address social justice for individuals with
disabilities and those from non-majority backgrounds and for his
work in extensive writing and presentations of issues related to
African Americans, including presentations to the National
Association of African American Caucus and the National Council for
Black Studies.
Dr. Rachela Permenter, professor of English, was cited for
classes that consistently familiarized students with the injustice
that has dominated American mainstream culture in the past and that
continues to disenfranchise many Americans. She was nominated for
consistently using classes to engage students in the value of
literatures and perspectives that have often been overlooked or
suppressed and for bringing important speakers to campus, most
recently the award-winning writer Sherman Alexie, who spoke about
race and prejudice. Permenter is a national and international
speaker, addressing Native-American literature and culture and a
member of the statewide conference on addressing issues and
concerns for women of color.
The
awards were initiated last year at the first Dr. King Day of
Service program. The day is devoted to community service with SRU
students traveling throughout the region to offer service,
including reading to shut-ins, offering tutoring to
youngsters,singing to residence of personal care and nursing homes
and helping with building and beautification projects. Some 175
students participated in this year’s Office of Intercultural
Programs organized program.
PN, PgN, WPN, PR
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