April 26, 2002

Contact: Mark Algren, KU chapter of Phi Beta Delta, (785) 864-4606.

International scholar honor society gives KU professor national award

LAWRENCE -- A University of Kansas professor will receive a top faculty award today from the Phi Beta Delta honor society for international scholars during the society's annual conference in Lafayette, La.

The society will award Anita Herzfeld, professor of Latin American studies and linguistics, the faculty award for outstanding contributions to international education.

Herzfeld was nominated for the award by the local chapter, Alpha Pi, housed at the Office of International Programs at KU. Mark Algren, chapter president, said that Herzfeld has an extremely strong record for her personal support to international students, for her work in teaching and studying Latin America and promoting understanding and exchanges, and for her distinguished career in and personal involvement with international education.

Since coming to KU from Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the 1960s, Herzfeld has helped students adjust to the United States and KU † first as a graduate student, then as an instructor, an administrator in international education and a faculty member.

Students consider her an inspiration for her constant support and high professional and human qualities. One student, said Algren, described how Herzfeld demonstrates that she knows what it is like to be in a foreign country and what it means for an individual to adjust to a new environment.

"What distinguishes Anita in all her international endeavors," said Algren, "has been that she has lived an international life."

Herzfeld has published numerous books and articles in international education as well as in linguistics. She has held Fulbright grants in Panama, Costa Rica and Guatemala. In the classroom and on campus, Herzfeld has translated the cultures of Central and South America to U.S. students and translated U.S. culture to Latin American students. She has native-language ability in English, Spanish and German and has mastered half a dozen other languages.

In addition to her academic work, Herzfeld has been part of the cadre of faculty, staff and students who made international education a vital part of KU's mission. She was part of the team that former Dean George Waggoner nurtured to make international education central to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She has directed KU study abroad programs in Costa Rica and Germany and directed the Office of Study Abroad from 1977 to 1985.

She established KU study abroad programs with Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Denmark, People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Israel, Japan and Nigeria. As a faculty member she has continued to promote international education and mentor international students. A founder of Phi Beta Delta at KU, Herzfeld is the chapter's immediate past-president.

Phi Beta Delta is the first honor society dedicated to recognizing scholarly achievement in international education. Since its founding in 1986, 120 chapters have formed in five countries.