Liz Gray Announced as Finalist for Bellwether Award

Lawrence Kinlin School of Business faculty member Liz Gray has been named as a finalist for the Bellwether Awards. Established in 1995, the Bellwether Awards recognize faculty, staff and administration in community colleges in a variety of categories.

Liz is a finalist in the Instructional Programs and Services Category for her work in implementing Fanshawe's Search Engine Marketing Course in association with Google. She will present her work at two sessions at the annual Community College Futures Assembly.

The international Awards are an integral part of the Community College Futures Assembly. The Assembly is sponsored by the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Florida and focuses on cutting-edge, trendsetting programs that other colleges might find worthy of replicating. The Bellwether Awards are given annually in three categories to colleges with outstanding and innovative programs or practices.

The Bellwether Award has been compared to football's Heisman Award because it is competitively judged and awarded by peers in community colleges, with no cash award. It has also been called "the award of awards" because many institutions with programs that have won other awards apply for the Bellwether Award. Previous recipients of the Bellwether Award have said that it has been a springboard for other types of recognition and/or funding.

Liz was also honoured last year at the League of Innovation Conference in Baltimore and was "Teacher of the Year" for Fanshawe College in 2008.

The final award winner will be announced at the Community Colleges Futures Assembly in Orlando, Florida. Congratulations on this achievement Liz!