KU News Release

LAWRENCE — Elizabeth Kuznesof, professor and director of the Center of Latin American Studies at the University of Kansas, will receive the 2009 George and Eleanor Woodyard International Educator Award. Vice Provost for Faculty Support Mary Lee Hummert will present the award at 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, at the Malott Room in the Kansas Union.

The award recognizes faculty on the Lawrence campus who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in strengthening KU’s international dimension in such areas as curriculum development, study abroad programs, relationships with international partner institutions and collaboration with international colleagues in significant research and publications.

Kuznesof joined the Department of History in 1987 and has been director of the Center of Latin American Studies since 1992. Her colleagues laud her ceaseless work in securing funding for the center, her efforts to make sure that graduate students have the opportunity to do field research in Latin America, her accomplished research and teaching skills and her success in building a community of Latin Americanists at KU.

“International Programs is pleased to present this honor to Professor Kuznesof this year,” said Director of Faculty Programs Julie Kaarbo. “It is a wonderful recognition of her outstanding record of leadership in international education. We also appreciate the generous support of George and Eleanor Woodyard for this award.”

The Woodyards established the fund through KU Endowment. George Woodyard joined the KU Department of Spanish and Portuguese in 1966. During his career at KU, he held positions in the Graduate School and Academic Affairs. In 1989, he was named KU’s first dean of international studies. Woodyard created and strengthened exchange programs on the Lawrence campus and for the School of Medicine, and established many KU alumni chapters overseas.

Past recipients of the award (formerly known as the Provost’s Award for Leadership in International Education) are Ed Canda, social welfare, (2008); Bill Tsutsui, history (2007); John Head, law (2006); Anita Herzfeld, Latin American studies (2005); Marsha Haufler, art history (2004); Garth Myers, geography and African and African-American studies, and Robert Timm, ecology and evolutionary biology (2003); Melissa Birch, business, and Diane Fourny, French and European studies (2002); Judith McCrea, art (2001); Leo Villalon, political science and African and African-American studies (2000); and Tom Mulinazzi, civil, environmental and architectural engineering, and Charles Stansifer, history (1999).

KU Endowment is the independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment was the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.