Cathy Davidson Honored for Contributions to Higher Ed

Distinguished Professor Cathy Davidson (English), director of the GC's Futures Initiative, received the Ernest L. Boyer Award last week in recognition of her contributions to higher education and interdisciplinary study

The honor was bestowed by the New American Colleges and Universities (NAC&U), a consortium of private U.S. colleges and universities that seeks to integrate liberal studies with professional education and civic engagement, and to encourage connections across academic disciplines.

"I am deeply honored to receive the Boyer Award from NAC&U," Davidson said. "All of higher education demands a new form of liberal arts that integrates interdisciplinary thinking throughout the curriculum, in order to ensure the most expansive, diverse, multicultural education for the complex and changing world our students face today."

Davidson has been a leader of interdisciplinary research throughout her career. She is a co-founder of the Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Alliance and Collaboratory (HASTAC), a network of more than 13,000 scholars, artists and technologists, and is the director of HASTAC@CUNY. The Futures Initiative, founded in 2014, promotes innovation, equity, and collaborative practices across disciplines, institutions and national boundaries.

Davidson was presented the award at the AAC&U Annual Meeting opening night forum on Wednesday, January 20, in Washington, D.C. She also delivered the Boyer Lecture that evening, titled Educating Higher: Toward an Equitable Innovative Future for Higher Education."

(Pictured below [l-r]: Mark Heckler, president of Valparaiso University; Nancy Hensel, president of NAC&U; Davidson; Tom Kazee, president of the University of Evansville; Troy Hammond, president of North Central College; and Thomas Burns, provost of Belmont University.)