SPCS associate professor & assistant chair Kate Cassada named UR distinguished educator during annual Colloquy celebration

Dr. Kate Cassada, Associate Professor and Assistant Chair of Graduate Education for Educational Leadership & Policy Studies in the School of Professional & Continuing Studies, has received the University of Richmond Distinguished Educator Award in SPCS for 2018.

The award was announced during Colloquy on August 22, 2018, the annual event marking the start of the academic year.

The Distinguished Educator Awards have been honoring excellence in teaching at the University of Richmond since 1975 when the Cabell Foundation made a grant to the University to be used to attract and retain outstanding faculty and promote excellence in teaching.

Recipients of the award are nominated to their School’s dean by peers and students; those nominations are reviewed by school-level committee, and those selected for university-wide consideration are forwarded with supporting material to the University Distinguished Educator Award Selection Committee.

In the School committee’s letter of support, Cassada was recognized for her innovative teaching methods and content, drawing praise from undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students alike. She was also recognized for her scholarship in the areas of educational leadership and instructional best practices for educators, noting especially her recent collaborations with students in her Reflective Teaching class. Cassada was also recognized for her administrative and service work, particularly her recent efforts to earn full CAEP accreditation for the University’s Educational Leadership & Policy Studies program. 

Cassada serves as both a professor and assistant program chair in the Educational Leadership & Policy Studies program. Her nomination received unanimous support from the entire full-time faculty of the School of Professional & Continuing Studies.