Shown right to left: James Walters, president of The National Society for Experiential Education, presented Dr. Anne B. Kerr, president of Florida Southern College, the 2010 annual William M. Burke Presidential Award for Excellence in Experiential Education at NSEEs 39thAnnual Conference Friday, October 8, in Charlotte, NC. NSEE is a national resource for the development and improvement of experiential education programs nationwide with over 800 members and an extended network of over 15,000 non-members.

Shown left to right: Sheila McRevey Burke, co-founder with her late husband William M. Burke of The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, Dr. Kerr; Mr. Walters and Dr. Eugene J. Alpert, senior vice president of The Washington Center.

Colleges Awarding of Tenure Based on Success in Experiential Learning,
And Transformational Curriculum, were Keys to the Award

LAKELAND, Fla. (Oct. 12, 2010) -- Florida Southern College President Anne B. Kerr received the 2010 William M. Burke Presidential Award for Excellence in Experiential Education at the National Society of Experiential Education (NSEE)'s 39th Annual Conference on Friday, Oct. 8 in Charlotte, N.C.

NSEE is a national resource for the development and improvement of experiential education programs nationwide, with over 800 members and an extended network of over 15,000 non-members.

NSEE presents the Burke Award annually in association with The Washington Center. The award is named for William M. Burke, who co-founded The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars in 1975 to provide college students in the nation and around the globe with access to academic internships in Washington, D.C.

"Competition for the Burke Award was exceptionally fierce this year," James Walters, president of NSEE, noted at the conference. "Florida Southern College and President Anne B. Kerr were the overwhelming selection out of a field of highly qualified nominations."

Walters added that the selection committee was impressed with Dr. Kerr's leadership to transform the College curriculum to provide students with numerous experiential education experiences. At Florida Southern, tenure decisions are based on faculty members' success in incorporating experiential learning pedagogies in the classroom.

In addition to the award, NSEE gave a $2,000 scholarship to benefit a Florida Southern student in his or her participation in an experiential program. Kerr noted that the College aspires to send a student to study at The Washington Institute.

"I am honored to accept this prestigious national award on behalf of Florida Southern College," said Dr. Kerr. "During the past several years, our faculty and staff have worked tirelessly to transform our curriculum and co-curricular offerings to emphasize student-centered, collaborative, and active learning experiences in order to achieve academic excellence. The Burke Award is a wonderful acknowledgment of our faculty's outstanding efforts to promote a culture of engaged learning for our students."

FSC's nomination for the award was supported by Dr. Sherry Magill, president of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, which partnered with the College to create the Transformational Teaching and Learning Initiative, which included summer institutes for faculty members on Engaged Learning Instruction and Instructional Technology.