COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF PHILADELPHIA PROFESSOR TO RECEIVE NORTHEAST REGIONAL FACULTY AWARD AT NATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONGRESS

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 2, 2009—Fay Beauchamp, Ph.D., professor of English and Humanities coordinator at Community College of Philadelphia, will accept the 2009 Northeast Regional Faculty Award from the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) at the group's annual Community College Leadership Congress, Oct. 7-10, in San Francisco.

Beauchamp is the third College faculty member in three years to capture the regional award. She also is the sole nominee for the even more prestigious national award named in honor of the ACCT's founding executive director, William H. Meardy, who championed the concept of faculty excellence as the foundation of success for the community college movement. The William H. Meardy Faculty Award winner will be named at the conference luncheon on Oct.9.

The ACCT is a non-profit educational organization of governing boards, representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern more than 1,200 community, technical and junior colleges in the United States, Canada and England.

Beauchamp, who also is director of the College's recently opened Center for International Understanding, said she is glad that the ACCT recognizes the contributions of faculty in teaching courses, as well as developing innovative programs.

"The ACCT award recognized all the work that faculty have done at Community College of Philadelphia in enriching courses with material from Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America," Beauchamp said. "It matters that our students, whether in a developmental writing course or an Advanced Humanities class, can intently debate ancient Egypt, President Obama’s experiences in Indonesia and Kenya or a Chinese Cinderella story. They get immersed in what they read and want to learn more."

College President Stephen M. Curtis said Beauchamp has been the driving force behind study-abroad programs that benefit the College's faculty and students. He applauded her academic leadership in International Studies that has supported the College’s faculty in developing new courses on the languages and cultures of Africa, the Caribbean, East Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

"Through her efforts she has transformed the professional lives of numerous colleagues and the students they teach," President Curtis said. "She is deeply committed to the power and value of an international education."

Beauchamp joined the College's faculty in 1975. Under her leadership, the College has won several U.S. Department of Education Title VI grants on East Asia and Africa; become an Asian Studies Development Program (ASDP) regional center; hosted ASDP's 2009 national conference; and organized an Asia/Africa ASDP/National Endowment for the Humanities workshop that became a model for other institutions.

In 2007, Beauchamp received the David A. Portlock Outstanding International Educator Award given by the Pennsylvania Council for International Education for outstanding leadership and achievements in international education.

More recently, Beauchamp was the force behind the creation of The Center for International Understanding, which opened last January. The College's newest international education initiative is dedicated to ensure the continued growth and success of existing practices and to provide students with additional knowledge for today’s global workforce.

Previous Community College of Philadelphia faculty members to win the ACCT Northeast Regional Faculty Award are Nursing Professor M. Elaine Tagliareni in 2008 and Sociology Professor Ralph M. Faris in 2007. Tagliareni also won the 2008 William H. Meardy Award.