Pruitt, Simon Honored, UA Well Represented at International Conference at Penn State
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Two veteran University of Alabama personnel — Dr. Samory T. Pruitt and Dr. Cassandra Simon — received special recognition at the 16th Annual Engagement Scholarship Consortium Conference held at Penn State University, Sept. 27–30. Pruitt is UA’s vice president for community affairs, and Simon is an associate professor of social work.
In 2016, Pruitt, in his 30th year as a UA employee and vice president for community affairs since 2004, will become only the second president of the ESC board of directors in its 17-year history.
Simon, a member of the UA social work faculty for 15 years, was honored as the founding editor of the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship (JCES), published at the University of Alabama. JCES is a leading journal in the important field of engagement scholarship.
University President Stuart R. Bell commended Pruitt and Simon, saying: “I congratulate Dr. Pruitt and Dr. Simon for their distinguished achievements and for their contributions to the growing field of engagement scholarship. I also applaud the many UA faculty, staff and students who brought the Crimson Tide banner to Penn State in September.”
As president of the ESC board, Pruitt will preside over a 33-member board that sets policy for ESC institutions, which include many of the nation’s leading research universities, as well as a number of international institutions.
As vice president of community affairs, Pruitt is UA’s designated officer for the encouragement and production of engaged scholarship. In this capacity, he works with the academic deans and faculty to promote best engagement practices with communities in Alabama and beyond. He is the founder and publisher of JCES, sponsored and partially funded by the Engagement Scholarship Consortium.
Also at the 2015 ESC conference, Pruitt was inducted into the Academy of Community Engagement Scholarship, recognizing his leadership in engagement scholarship through contributions to the theory and practice of working with community partners to address mutual needs. The nomination undergoes a rigorous review of the nominee’s body of work based on excellence in using engagement scholarship practices and values to address society’s pressing problems.
Simon received her award at an ESC conference reception in appreciation of her leadership, dedication to excellence and commitment to engagement scholarship as founding editor of JCES, now in its ninth year. Volume 8, No. 2, which featured articles and coverage from the 2014 ESC conference held at the University of Alberta, Canada, was distributed to attendees at the 2015 conference. JCES is sponsored by the ESC.
UA was represented at the conference by 25 faculty, staff and students. They presented research papers and/or served as program conveners and moderators.
ESC is an international group of universities that promote engaged scholarship, a blend of university teaching, research and service that addresses critical societal problems in collaboration with community organizations with students often playing key roles.
