Gallaudet President I. King Jordan Garners National Award

From: Gallaudet - Jun 12, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Mercy Coogan
Director
Office of Public Relations
Gallaudet University
202.651.5727
 
 
Gallaudet President I. King Jordan Garners National Award
In recognition of his lifelong service, Dr. Jordan will receive the National Jefferson Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged.

(WASHINGTON) Gallaudet University President I. King Jordan is the recipient of the 2006 National Jefferson Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged.
 
According to organizers, Dr. Jordan garnered the prestigious honor not only for his advocacy in support of deaf and disability issues, but also as a proponent of quality higher education. 

In 1988, Gallaudet students, with support from many alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the University, protested the Board of Trustees' appointment of a hearing person to the presidency. Called Deaf President Now (DPN), the weeklong protest was a watershed event in the lives of deaf and hard of hearing people all over the world. At its conclusion, the new president resigned, and the Board named I. King Jordan, one of three finalists for the position, the eighth president of Gallaudet and the first deaf president since the institution was established in 1864.
 
Dr. Jordan’s leadership has heightened public awareness of the important educational contributions Gallaudet makes to the nation and the world. He serves as an international spokesperson for deaf and hard of hearing people, as well as an advocate for all persons with disabilities. President of Gallaudet for 18 years, Dr. Jordan will step down from the position Dec. 31, 2006.
 
Dr. Jordan will be recognized during a gala on Tuesday, June 20, 2006 at 7 p.m. in East Hall, Union Station. Other recipients include:
 
U. S. Senator John Heinz Award
Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official
Representative John Lewis
 
S. Roger Horchow Award
Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen
Michael Feinberg
David Levin
 
Samuel S. Beard Award
Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Under
Peyton Manning
 
Established in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Sam Beard, the Jefferson Awards is considered the “Nobel Prize for public and community service.” The awards are presented on two levels: national and local.  National award recipients represent a “Who’s Who” of outstanding Americans.  On the local level, Jefferson Awards recipients are ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition or reward.
 
About Gallaudet University

Gallaudet University is the world leader in liberal education and career development for deaf and hard-of-hearing undergraduate students. The University enjoys an international reputation for the outstanding graduate programs it provides deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students, as well as for the quality of the research it conducts on the history, language, culture, and other topics related to deaf people. In addition, the University’s Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center serves deaf and hard-of-hearing children at its two demonstration schools and throughout the nation by developing, implementing, and disseminating innovative educational strategies. Gallaudet is located in Washington, DC.