Bowling
Green, Ky.
- Dr. Terry Wilson, director of Western Kentucky
University’s Center for Mathematics, Science and Environmental
Education, has received environmental education’s highest
honor.
Dr. Wilson received the Walter E. Jeske Award from the North
American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)
in recognition of his 36 years of work in environmental
education.
“I feel incredibly honored to receive this award,” Dr. Wilson
said. “When I look back at the list of former recipients
of the Jeske Award, I am blown away by the list of giants
in the field. I am truly humbled by this recognition.”
The award, presented Oct. 13 at the group’s annual conference
in St. Paul, Minn., is given each year to recognize an individual’s
service to NAAEE and for leadership within the field of
environmental education. NAAEE is the professional association
for the field of environmental education and has members
from North America and 55 countries. (A list of Jeske Award
winners is available online at http://www.naaee.org/programs-and-initiatives/awards/the-walter-e-jeske-award.)
Dr. Wilson, who served as president of NAAEE in 2002, represented
the group on the National Council for the Accreditation
of Teacher Education, a coalition of more than 30 organizations
that sets professional standards for colleges and universities
that prepare teachers and other personnel for work in elementary
and secondary schools.
He is actively involved in research as well as training
educators and community resource people to work with scientists
in doing water quality monitoring in their communities.
He is one of the principal agents in creating a new environmental
education endorsement for the certification of teachers
in Kentucky.
He has contributed to the development of print materials
and multimedia productions related to environmental issues
for government agencies and state organizations and has
been a frequent contributor to the Journal of Environmental
Education.
In 2005, Dr. Wilson added Earth Force “GREEN Partner” to
his list of credentials and has worked to build environmental
partnerships among local schools systems, corporate partners,
including General Motors, and WKU.
Dr. Wilson received a mathematics degree from Ohio University
in 1970 and earned his doctorate in science and environmental
education from Ohio State University in 1988. He has been
the environmental education coordinator for the Kentucky
Department of Education; director of Murray State University’s
Center for Environmental Education and a member of numerous
state, national and international organizations.
He was the first recipient of the Environmental Education
College Teacher of the Year, presented by the Kentucky Association
for Environmental Education, and has served as editor and
publisher of The Environmental Communicator.
In announcing Wilson as the 2006 Jeske Award winner, last
year’s recipient Elaine Andrews said:
“Dr. Terry Wilson is being honored for his tireless, long-standing
efforts on behalf of the field of environmental education
and NAAEE. He is an exemplary teacher who has been actively
engaged in helping people understand environmental concepts
for more than thirty-five years. A colleague often shares
that Terry is the most naturally gifted teacher he has ever
known. Dr. Wilson creates for all learners an atmosphere
of adventure, inquiry, and a love for learning. He believes
in the power of teaching and learning, in the concept and
practice of community building, of nurturing and listening.
To him the path is not only more important than the endpoint,
but the road to making our earth a better place is through
environmental education that is personally meaningful.
“Beyond his teaching prowess is a vast network of connections
to improve the field that has been critical in elevating
environmental education. His work and commitment with NCATE
and the revised environmental education standards, his work
with the Non-Formal Certification in Kentucky, the Centers
for Environmental Education across the Commonwealth of Kentucky,
and his work with Project WILD, PLT, Project WET, Project
Food Land and People, and numerous other programs and projects
demonstrate his commitment to improving environmental education.
He achieves success by using his teaching lens, trusting
in the power of people to change, and acknowledging others
in positive and meaningful ways. His success lies in his
ability to bring his teaching skill to all aspects of his
professional life.
“His service to teaching about and for the environment,
and making numerous contributions to the field of environmental
education is distinguished and makes him worthy of the Walter
Jeske Award for 2006.”
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like
to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
For information, contact Terry Wilson at (270) 745-4671.
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