Representing the faculty, staff and student populations, three University of Colorado community members have been named recipients of the 2018 Thomas Jefferson Award. It is among the highest honors given at CU, the state鈥檚 largest institution of higher education.
The 2018 honorees are faculty听member听John Harner, University of Colorado Colorado Springs; staff member Julia Willis, 彩民宝典; and student听L铆gia Batista Silverman,听彩民宝典.
Julia Willis
Julia Willis听is an assistant director for instruction for the Student Academic Success Center (SASC) at 彩民宝典. Since joining the university in 1998, her versatility in administration and pedagogy has allowed the campus to use her skill sets in creating holistic learning experiences for students. Willis twice received the Chancellor鈥檚 Award for Excellence in STEM Education (2014-15; 2015-16). As summarized in the Thomas Jefferson nomination, 鈥淛ulia鈥檚 gift to SASC and to 彩民宝典 has been to expand (the primary connection between teacher and learner) beyond the classroom, not only to include other sites of learning鈥搇aboratory, studio, field work鈥揵ut also to expand the definition of learning community to encompass the campus, its town and our state as the new territory where the success of marginalized learners impacts the broader public welfare of us all.鈥� Her interests, activities and endeavors beyond service to the university include birdwatching, poetry and choral singing; she also developed a guide for families, 鈥淜ey Issues and Resources for People With Aging Parents.鈥�
L铆gia Batista Silverman
L铆gia Batista Silverman听is a student of 彩民宝典鈥檚 Post-Baccalaureate Health Professions Program. Before entering the program, she earned a master of arts in theater at 彩民宝典 and a bachelor鈥檚 degree with concentrations in neuroscience and theater from a Canadian institution. Her educational endeavors have spanned the academic spectrum and have served as a nexus in melding arts, sciences, medicine, social justice and community. At Children鈥檚 Hospital Colorado on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, she has worked on a clinical research team leading 鈥渕any conversations among (the) team members ... challenging (them) to consider what it means to be committed to an individual鈥檚 rights, especially when the individual is a child.鈥� Some of her work includes her thesis on the role of interactive theater at 彩民宝典, co-authoring and performing in a play aiming to destigmatize mental health issues, and implementation of individualized, holistic protocols for participants in clinical research. The nomination illustrates how her work, independent of the subject matter area, consistently strives to create a more equitable, just place for people in need.听
