Achievements in academics, service recognized with CU’s 2013 Jefferson Award

Three members of the University of Colorado community –a faculty member, a staff professional and a student – are recipients of the 2013 Thomas Jefferson Award, among the highest honors given at CU.

Award winners are those who embody and advance the ideals of Jefferson, the third U.S. president and a Founding Father whose influence shaped American arts, sciences, education and public affairs. The Jefferson Award recognizes CU faculty, staff and students who demonstrate excellence in the performance of regular academic responsibilities while contributing outstanding service to the broader community.

This year’s honorees are:

	Faculty: Anatoliy Glushchenko, Ph.D., associate professor of physics at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. He teaches advanced physics classes, directs the Center for Advanced Materials and Optical Technologies and leads a broad range of fundamental and applied research in biophysics and soft condensed matter, gaining international recognition. A frequent collaborator with many research and government laboratories and industries, Glushchenko was recognized by the University of Colorado as its 2007 Inventor of the Year.
	Staff: Drew Martorella, executive director of THEATREWORKS at UCCS. Besides providing leadership for the professional, regional theater company based on campus, Martorella also serves as a community and regional advocate for the arts and public service. Over the course of 17 years with the university, he led financial reform in the program to increase the operating budget five-fold, multiply the subscriber base by six, and more than triple the number of shows per season.
	Student: Anand Reddi, M.D. candidate in the School of Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Although he is not due to graduate until 2014, he already has established himself as a leading advocate for translating public health research into policies put into action around the globe. Reddi has worked to protect commitments for the provision of HIV drugs in resource-limited settings.

Honorees have demonstrated a strong commitment to the advancement of higher education, a deeply seated sense of individual civic responsibility and a profound commitment to the welfare and rights of the individual.

“CU’s Thomas Jefferson Award brings attention to diverse contributions made across the university. It also honors outreach into Colorado and beyond, which these award winners have demonstrated in profound ways,” said CU President Bruce D. Benson. “The work they do at the University of Colorado improves quality of life far beyond our campuses.”

A committee of CU faculty, staff and students selects winners. Recipients receive an engraved plaque and a $2,000 honorarium, and are recognized by the CU Board of Regents.

The Thomas Jefferson Award was established at the University of Virginia in 1951 by the Robert Earll McConnell Foundation to honor teaching faculty who exemplified the humanistic ideals associated with Jefferson. By 1962, six other institutions – including CU – had established a Jefferson Award. In 1980, the university added a student category; in 1988, the staff category was approved. Funding for the awards is derived from earnings on an endowment provided by the McConnell Foundation and from a bequest by Harrison Blair, a CU alumnus.