College of Education to honor distinguished alumni at banquet

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s College of Education will honor three distinguished Purdue alumni during its 2019 Distinguished Education Alumni Awards (DEAA) event on Friday (Nov. 1).

The DEAA was established in 2006 to honor outstanding professional achievements in the field of education, and the awards are given biennially. Recipients of the DEAA are selected by college leadership.

 “This year’s Distinguished Education Alumni Awards ceremony honors individuals who embody the values and principles of Purdue’s College of Education,” said Nancy Marchand-Martella, the Suzi and Dale Gallagher Dean of Education. “All three honorees are doing outstanding work within education and beyond.”

The Distinguished Education Alumni Awards honorees are:

Pamela R. Clinkenbeard: She is a professor of educational foundations and co-director of Challenging Advanced Learners programs at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Clinkenbeard received a master’s degree from Purdue in 1980 and her doctorate in 1984.

James T. McDonald III: He received his doctorate from Purdue in 2002 and is a professor of science education and director of the Central Michigan GEMS Education Center at Central Michigan University (CMU). He’s currently the Michigan representative for the NASA Solar System Ambassador and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Martha Nyikos: She is an associate professor of literacy, culture and language education and director of world languages and second language education programs at Indiana University. Nyikos received her doctorate from Purdue in 1987. She regularly provides professional development workshops on dual language teaching and issues in language acquisition in the U.S. and abroad. 

Writer: Lori Bowes, 765-494-2341, education@purdue.edu 

Source: Nancy Marchand-Martella, 765-494-2336, nmarchand-martella@purdue.edu