Joann Geddes, former AES Director, receives Honor
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Former AES director, Joann Geddes, received the Donald G. Balmer Citation at the Lewis & Clark Alumni Awards Banquet held Saturday, March 9. This award honors an alumnus/a, faculty or staff member, or friend of Lewis & Clark for outstanding voluntary service to the college. Originally called the “Alumni Citation”, this award was renamed in 1991 to recognize Don Balmer’s selfless support of the college and to encourage others to follow his example.
Excerpt from the Alumni Awards page: Joann’s first invitation to teach at L&C came from the MAT program in the late 1970s. During three summers, she taught for them and for the Institute for the Study of American Language & Culture (ISALC). She joined the faculty of the ISALC, currently called Academic English Studies (AES) in 1981, and held the position of Director from 1985 until her retirement in 2016. During her tenure at L&C, Joann led seven overseas programs in Costa Rica, the Soviet Union, Argentina, Kenya & Tanzania, Australia, Vietnam, and Morocco. She also served as Director of Summer Sessions in 1992.
Joann is proud to have taken part, along with her dedicated colleagues, in building very strong intensive English programs that have prepared international students for future study in the U.S. and brought global perspectives and diversity to L&C. This gave them the opportunity to establish the Dallaire Scholarship in 2004. She joined with extraordinarily generous students, faculty, staff, neighbors, family, and alumni in making this goal a reality.
In 2013, Joann was honored to receive the Multicultural Impact Award for Faculty and to have been nominated by Senior Matthew Rugamba of Rwanda. Currently, she serves as a volunteer on the L&C Dallaire Scholarship Committee, the Fulbright Scholarship Screening Committee, as an advisor to the students organizing the Middle East and North African Studies Symposium, and as the liaison from L&C to the L.O. Library for its “community reads” program.
Countless students and alumni consider Joann’s commitment to their education and to them as individuals a true gift. She remains connected to many of them as a true mark of lasting friendship and respect.
