Zurek Named Professor of the Year in Pennsylvania
Cabrini College professor Jerry Zurek, Ph.D. has been named the 2005 Professor of the Year in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
The CASE Professor of the Year program honors the most outstanding instructors in the country - those who excel and influence the lives and careers of their students. The annual selection of 42 professors is recognized as one of the most prestigious awards in higher education. The CASE Professors of the Year, representing 40 states, Guam, and the District of Columbia, were honored at a Congressional Reception at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
Cabrini President Antoinette Iadarola, Ph.D., comments "Jerry Zurek has been an asset to Cabrini College, integral in the development of the Hamilton Family Communications Center, which houses a state-of-the-art radio station, television station, and graphic design laboratories giving students a hands-on approach to learning. During his tenure, the English and Communication major has grown exponentially to become Cabrini's second-largest major."
Zurek, the first Cabrini professor to receive the CASE Award, has been on the faculty since 1977. He is a professor and chair of the English and Communication department, and the faculty advisor to The Loquitur, Cabrini's weekly student newspaper. The CASE Award caps a long list of honors Zurek has earned throughout his career including the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, the Sears-Roebuck Foundation Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award, and the Poynter Institute for Media Studies National Teaching Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing.
Zurek was nominated for the award by Jonnie Guerra, Ph.D., Cabrini's vice president for academic affairs. Guerra states "Jerry is very dedicated to Cabrini's mission of integrating social justice and service into the curriculum. He has been a faculty leader in the effort to reclaim Cabrini College's premier position among higher education institutions in integrating service and social justice into the curriculum."
A resident of Malvern, Zurek earned B.A. in English, Philosophy, Classics from Fordham University, and a M.A. and Ph.D. in English from Bryn Mawr College. His teaching areas at Cabrini include English Literature, Mass Communication, Journalism, and Social Justice Education.
About CASE
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the largest international association of education institutions, with more than 3,200 colleges, universities, and independent elementary and secondary schools in nearly 50 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Representing these institutions are more than 38,000 professionals in the disciplines of alumni relations, communication, and fundraising.