Pamela M. Kiser, Watts-Thompson Professor in the Department of Human Service Studies, was formally awarded the Distinguished University Professorship at a special investiture ceremony on Oct. 4. The board of trustees conferred the professorship on Kiser last spring, and the special ceremony was an opportunity to celebrate Kiser's contributions to teaching, scholarship and service to the Ƶ community.
In a tribute to Kiser, Cynthia Fair, associate professor of human service studies, said Kiser has had a profound impact on Ƶ and is a stabilizing force at the university.
“She has brought courage and integrity to all facets of her work and has influenced the national and international dialogue regarding academic service-learning and internships,” Fair said.
Ƶ President Leo M. Lambert said Kiser exemplifies what is best about Ƶ and praised her untiring commitment to excellence.
“You are a creative teacher, a caring mentor, a thoughtful and incisive scholar, a wise leader and a community member bringing into being our shared vision for Ƶ,” Lambert said to Kiser.
In response, Kiser said she is grateful for the opportunities she has had at Ƶ.
“Over the 30 years that I have been in higher education, the trends of academe and of Ƶ, more specifically, have become increasingly consonant with my own,” Kiser said. “Through the increasing value placed on engaged and experiential learning, service-learning and civic engagement, the trajectory of higher education and of Ƶ have intersected with my own professional identity, ideals, interests and goals.”
The Distinguished University Professorship was created by trustees in 2001, and a committee composed of faculty members solicits nominations and recommendations for the award. The three other Distinguished University Professors are Maude Sharpe Powell Professor of Philosophy emeritus John Sullivan (2002), J. Earl Danieley Professor of Sociology Tom Henricks (2003) and Maude Sharpe Powell Professor of English Russell Gill (2006).
In her remarks, Kiser noted that she is the first woman to be named a Distinguished University Professor. “There seems to be broad agreement that it is time to recognize the contributions of Ƶ’s women to what this institution has become,” Kiser said.
A member of Ƶ’s faculty since 1981, Kiser has served the Ƶ community in numerous roles, including department chair, faculty scholar in the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, Kernodle Center Service-Learning Faculty Development Fellow, as a member of the Academic Council, as a member of the university’s Phi Beta Kappa committee and as interim dean of Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences. An engaging and innovative presence in the classroom, she received Ƶ’s Daniels-Danieley Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2007.
Kiser consistently contributes scholarly work to her field, publishing articles and making presentations in peer-reviewed competitive settings nationally and internationally. Her research focuses on experiential learning, internships and service-learning. In 2000, she published a textbook, “Getting the Most from your Human Services Internship: Learning from Experiences,” which is currently in its third edition and is used at more than 100 institutions of higher learning worldwide.
Kiser played an important role in the founding of Ƶ’s service-learning efforts in the early 1990s. She led the initiative to create a standard definition of service-learning at Ƶ, developed a service-learning faculty handbook, raised funds to support faculty scholars and course development, and guided the creation of the Social Entrepreneurship Scholars program. In 2009, Kiser received the Robert L. Sigmon Service-Learning Award from North Carolina Campus Compact for her dedication to the practice of service-learning in higher education.
An active member of the local community, Kiser works closely with nonprofit organizations dedicated to human services, including the Alamance County Family Abuse Services and Crossroads Sexual Assault Response and Resources Center.
Kiser graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Wake Forest University and earned a master of social work degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She later completed postgraduate coursework at UNC-Greensboro.