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November 22, 2006
Contacts: Suzanne Higgins
suzanne.higgins@gcmail.maricopa.edu 623.845.3808
George A. Martinez
george.martinez@gcmail.maricopa.edu 623.845.3605
GCC Psychology Professor Beats Hundreds of University Counterparts to be Named 2006 Arizona Professor of the Year
A GCC psychology professor has been named one of eight community college professors in the U.S. and the first Latino from Arizona to win one of the most prestigious, competitive awards in higher education--after competing against more than 300 counterparts from major private and public universities nationally.
Dr. René Díaz-Lefebvre received the 2006 Arizona Professor of the Year Award Nov. 16 in Washington, D.C. from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Díaz-Lefebvre was the first professor to introduce and apply an innovative instructional theory, Multiple Intelligences (MI), in a community college—Glendale Community College in Arizona. More than 3,600 students have benefited directly from Multiple Intelligences instruction at GCC since it was introduced at the college in 1991.
"To be recognized for one's teaching and scholarship ability is the ultimate reward for a college professor," says Díaz-Lefebvre. "I am humbled to earn this prestigious award, knowing the caliber of teachers that were nominated. For my family, I am very proud to be the first Latino to get this award."
The Professors of the Year program salutes the most outstanding undergraduate instructors in the country—those who excel as teachers and influence the lives and careers of their students. It is extremely competitive and recognized as one of the most prestigious awards honoring professors. Award selection criteria include: extraordinary dedication to undergraduate teaching; excellence in involvement with undergraduate students; a scholarly approach to teaching and learning; contribution to undergraduate education in the institution, community and profession; and support from colleagues and current and former undergraduate students.
A GCC professor since 1991, Díaz-Lefebvre has become internationally known for applying cognitive psychology research to innovative ways of helping students learn. Specifically, he became fascinated with MI theory, which states that human intelligence is comprised of eight or more intelligences--interpersonal, linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, intrapersonal, naturalist, spatial, and bodily-kinesthetic. Díaz-Lefebvre's work, which he called Multiple Intelligences/Learning for Understanding or MI/LfU, has grown into a learning and assessment program used by many professors at GCC and has gained national and international prominence. In 2004 and 2005 the program was a national finalist in the prestigious Bellwether Competition of the Community Colleges Futures Assembly held annually at the University of Florida. About 15 GCC faculty, representing diverse disciplines, implement this innovative academic program in their classes at GCC.
In more than 30 years of teaching, Díaz-Lefebvre has won many national and international teaching awards. His MI/LfU initiative won first prize in the "Assessment of Student Learning" category of the National Council of Instructional Administrators (NCIA) 2005 Exemplary Initiatives Competition. In March 2005, the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) named Díaz-Lefebvre the 2005 Outstanding Latino Faculty in Service/Teaching in Higher Education. He received the 2003 Distinguished Faculty Award from the Arizona Association of Chicanos for Higher Education (AACHE). He was named Master Teacher by the Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas at Austin, and received a Kellogg Scholarship to study at the Institute for the Management of Lifelong Education (MLE) at Harvard University.
As an international leader in higher education reform and a leading expert on MI theory, Díaz-Lefebvre has given more than 150 presentations in U.S. cities and abroad. He has published 25 scholarly articles and two books, in both English and Spanish, on MI/LfU philosophy and practice. A new book on MI/LfU will be published in 2009.
CASE is the largest international association of education institutions, serving more than 3,200 universities, colleges, and schools in 55 countries. It is the leading resource for professional development, information, and standards in the fields of education fund raising, communications and alumni relations. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center.
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