For Immediate Release – Lawton, OK, Nov. 28, 2006
National honors for Cameron Professor
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support
of Education have named Cameron Associate Professor Vivian Thomlinson, Ph.D., the 2006 Oklahoma
Professor of the Year. Thomlinson was selected from among nearly 300 top professors in the United
States.
Margery Kinglsey, CU English and foreign languages department chair described Thomlinson as an
extraordinary teacher both of students and of faculty.
“She is legendary on campus and was a natural choice when the opportunity to nominate a faculty member
for this award arose,” said Kinglsey. “The nomination was all the more meaningful because it required
letters from faculty, students, alumni, and community members, all of whom have been touched in one way
or another by Dr. Thomlinson’s teaching.”
CASE established the Professors of the Year program in 1981, and the Carnegie Foundation became the
co-sponsor a year later. TIAA-CREF, one of America's leading financial services organizations and higher
education's premier retirement system, became the primary sponsor for the awards ceremony in 2000.
Additional support for the program is received from a number of higher education associations, including
Phi Beta Kappa.
“Attending the luncheon and reception in Washington D.C. was thrilling,” said Thomlinson. “However, the
most important thing I took away from the entire experience was the pride that came from knowing my
colleagues and students think highly enough of me to nominate me for the award.”
This year there are winners in 43 states, Guam, and the District of Columbia. A panel of judges from CASE
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Thomlinson, ADD ONE
and Carnegie selected the state winners from top entries. The state winners were selected from faculty
members who had been nominated by colleges and universities throughout the country.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching was founded in 1905 by Andrew Carnegie “to
do all things necessary to encourage, uphold and dignify the profession of teaching.” The foundation is the
only advanced-study center for teachers in the world and the third-oldest foundation in the nation. Its
nonprofit research activities are conducted by a small group of distinguished scholars.
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is the largest international association of education
institutions, serving more than 3,200 universities, colleges, schools, and related organizations in 54
countries. CASE is the leading resource for professional development, information, and standards in the
fields of educational fundraising, communications, marketing and alumni relations.
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PR#06-173
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