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2011-2012 Distinguished Alumni Awards

In the inaugural year of the Distinguished Alumni Awards, the College of Education was privileged to honor two exceptional individuals, Ceceilia H. Foxley (PhD Educational Psychology) and Beverley Taylor Sorenson (BS Elementary Education). This year, the college is once again pleased to honor two equally deserving and distinguished alumni. Lily Eskelsen (B.S. Elementary Education; M.Ed. Educational Studies) is the recipient of the 2011-2012 College Distinguished Alumna Award. Ann Weaver Hart, (Ph.D. Educational Administration) is the recipient of the T.H. Bell Award for Lifetime Contributions to the Field of Education.

The Annual College Alumni Awards Luncheon is held Thursday, February 23rd, at the U Alumni House.


Lilia "Lily" Eskelsen
2011-2012 College Distinguished Alumna Award

Lily EskelsenLily Eskelsen is Vice President of the National Education Association. She is one of the highest-ranking labor leaders in the country and one of its most influential Latino educators. She began her career as a school cafeteria lunch worker. After becoming a kindergarten aide, she was encouraged to become a teacher herself. She worked her way through the University of Utah on scholarships, student loans, and as a starving folk singer, graduating magna cum laude in elementary education and later earning a master's degree in instructional technology. Lily was named Utah Teacher of the Year in 1989, and she used that platform to advocate for better school funding. The next year she was elected UEA President. She has since served in key leadership posts, including the NEA Executive Committee and NEA Secretary-Treasurer. In 1998 she ran for U.S. Congress and became her party's first Latino nominee in Utah, raising close to $1 million and taking 45 percent of the vote against the incumbent. She has personified the belief that professionalism carries a responsibility to take action, individually and collectively, to fight to fulfill the promise of public education – preparing every child to succeed.


Ann Weaver Hart
T.H. Bell Award for Lifetime Contributions to the Field of Education

Ann Weaver HartAnn Weaver Hart was elected the ninth president of Temple University on May 4, 2006. She is the first female president in the University's 125-year history. On February 8, 2012, the Arizona Board of Regents announced that Dr. Hart is “the” candidate for the president of the University of Arizona. She previously served as president of the University of New Hampshire and provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Claremont Graduate University, in Claremont, California.

Her prior appointments include professor of educational leadership, dean of the Graduate School and special assistant to the president at the University of Utah. She received B.S., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Utah. Her research interests include leadership succession and development, work redesign and organizational behavior in educational organizations, and academic freedom. She has published more than 85 articles and book chapters, and five books and edited volumes. In addition to her academic and administrative work, Dr. Hart has been a consultant to many educational institutions, universities and nonprofit organizations both nationally and internationally. She is the recipient of a number of professional and community service awards, including the Jack Culbertson Award in Educational Administration from the University Council for Educational Administration.

Last Updated: 3/15/21