Elizabeth Niehaus, assistant professor in Educational Administration, will be receiving two honors for her professional service and research next month in Columbus, Ohio at the annual convention of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA). The first award is the 2017 Outstanding Service to the International Community Award. Additionally, Niehaus will receive a 2017 Excellence in International Research Award, for her work with Letitia Williams of the University of Trinidad and Tobago. Both awards are presented by the ACPA Commission for Global Dimensions of Student Development (CGDSD).
“Dr. Niehaus’ recognitions are another reminder of the importance of the three areas of scholarship—teaching, research and service,” said Marjorie Kostelnik, dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences. “The fact that Beth is accomplishing this work on an international scale further reflects her understanding of the College’s priorities as we serve our students, state, nation and the world."
Niehaus serves on the CEHS International Advisory Council. Associate Dean Beth Doll, also a member of the council, said Niehaus is well deserving of the honors.
“Beth is conducting cutting edge research on students’ international experiences and the ways in which these experiences contribute to their global competence,” Doll said. “By working in partnership with international scholars, she ensures that her scholarship has relevance across national borders and within diverse cultures. This award is evidence that Beth’s professional community is worldwide. We’re delighted with her achievement, and we’re grateful that Beth is leading us in a similarly thoughtful and carefully designed plan to promote the international competence of CEHS students.”
The service award recognizes an individual for contributions to the international education community. Niehaus’ service included leadership on developing new recommendations for the association’s professional competencies revision task force. In addition, Niehaus served as faculty-in-residence for the CGDSD and “shepherded the most successful International Colloquium in ACPA history,” according to her nominator.
Niehaus worked across time zones and borders to create scholarship “that will change the future of higher education in the United States and Caribbean,” said the nominator. The joint research is being used to develop theories of student development that are based on the experiences, needs and developmental patterns of Caribbean students.