Kutztown University College of Education Honors Three with Distinguished Alumni Award

Kutztown, PA (05/02/2017) — Kutztown University College of Education recently honored three graduates with the Distinguished Alumni Award. This is the inaugural year of the award. Receiving recognition were Dr. Morell D. Boone '64, Dr. C.J. Rhoads '82 and Dr. George J. Zimmerman '73.

Boone, of East Lansing, Mich., is a 1964 graduate of Kutztown State College with a bachelor's degree in library education. He went on to earn a master's degree and doctorate from Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y. He is a professor emeritus and former dean of the College of Technology at Eastern Michigan University (EMU), Ypsilanti, retiring in 2013. Boone joined the faculty at EMU in 1980 and rose through the ranks before being named dean in 2006.

Boone began his career in 1964 as a librarian with Pennridge Schools, Perkasie, Bucks County. He has also taught at Hobart and Smith Colleges, Geneva, N.Y., Syracuse University, the University of Bridgeport, Conn., and Wayne State University, Detroit.

In addition to teaching, Boone has served as a consultant to universities around the world including Saigon University and Seameo Retrac, both in Ho Chi Ming City, Vietnam, Universidate Anhembi Morumbi, San Paulo, Brazil and National University, LaJolla, Cal.

Rhoads, of Douglassville, Pa., is a 1982 graduate of Kutztown State College, with a bachelor's degree in elementary education and special education. She went on to earn a master's degree from Temple University, Philadelphia, and a doctorate from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa.

Rhoads has been a professor of business administration at Kutztown University since 2004. She previously taught at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa., Lebanon Valley College, Annville, Pa., Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa., Reading Area Community College, Albright College and Alvernia University, all in Reading, Pa.

Outside of teaching she is the founder, president and chief executive officer of HPL Consortium, Inc., Douglassville, Pa. HPL is dedicated to helping people and groups connect health, prosperity and leadership. The company provides a technology infrastructure and consulting service for people and organizations to effectively market, publish books and videos, and manage workshops and conferences.

Rhoads has published seven books, most recently in 2015 when she released Telehealth in Rural Hospitals: Lessons Learned from Pennsylvania.

Zimmerman, of Monroeville, Pa., is a 1976 graduate of Kutztown State College with a bachelor's degree in elementary education, special education and visual impairment. He is an associate professor emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh where he served on the Visual Studies faculty since 1988. He holds a master's degree from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, and a doctorate from Vanderbilt University, Nashville.

Zimmerman began his career in 1973 as a teacher with the Northeastern Intermediate Unit #19, Scranton, Pa. He also taught at schools in Massachusetts and New Hampshire before being named director of the Texas Commission for the Blind in 1978. He went on to teach at Boston College for 15 years and Vanderbilt University for four years.

Zimmerman has authored and co-authored dozens of publications and serves as a mentor to doctoral students studying special education and visual impairment. He is the recipient of the Lawrence E. Blaha Award given by the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired.

The College of Education Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes a career of extraordinary accomplishment, based on significant contributions to a field related to the college, which should involve outstanding professional experience, scholarship and/or service to the community. Award recipients are selected by a committee and will be honored each spring.

For more information, contact Cheryl Faust, KU College of Education, at 610-683-4253.

Media Attachments