Curriculum & Instruction (CUIN) associate professor Laveria Hutchison received the Alumni Faculty Service Award at the UH College of Education Star Awards dinner at the Hilton, University of Houston. 

Before, during and after the years that Hutchison provided leadership as CUIN chair, she has been active on committees at all levels. Immediately upon completing her time as chair, she moved into leadership on committee work. She is currently chair elect of the Faculty Executive Committee for the College of Education (COE).

Hutchison has served on search committees for a dean and a provost, as well as the UH Grievance Committee and many others. She has also chaired, and been a member of, the Undergraduate Studies Committee and the Scholarship Review Committee, and has branched out to serve on the English Department Foundations Committee.

Hutchison’s services to the International Literacy Association have continued for decades. She has chaired the Media Awards Committee, and has served on the Intellectual Freedom Committee among many others. Hutchison was the recipient of the Outstanding Service Award from English in Texas, a  peer-reviewed journal focusing on teacher research, classroom application, student writing, and professional development in English Language Arts.

According to CUIN professor Sheng Chung, Hutchison “was the first person in the college that approached me to offer her assistance in settling in when I first arrived. I was deeply touched by her gesture because at that time she was simply a faculty member and not a department chairperson. She helped me throughout my academic journey from a new assistant professor to a full professor today. Her commitment to service is evident.”

Hutchison’s long-term efforts to introduce the Ph.D in Curriculum & Instruction involved innumerable extra hours during her evenings, weekends, and vacations. Her efforts were realized when the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the new doctoral degree.

Service to students has always been a big part of Dr. Hutchison’s open door policy. According to Eve Zehavi, a current Ph. D. student in Curriculum and Instruction, “Dr. Hutchison maintains a mentoring relationship beyond the classroom. She makes time to attend poster sessions and presentations of her students at literacy events all over the country. She was very involved in the founding of the Curriculum and Instruction Graduate Student Organization. She has been very involved in our outreach and future plans to partner with Cuney Homes and its community schools. Through her many areas of service, she embodies what it means to be a great educator.”

One of her current doctoral students, Kimberle Kasper, expressed her gratitude to Hutchison for being an outstanding teacher and mentor: “Dr. Hutchison is an example of the type of professor I one day hope to become. While attending her classes, I was able to witness first-hand the knowledge and skills needed to guide future teachers and researchers in the field of education.”

"It gives me great pride to accept this award knowing the record of my colleagues who received the Faculty Service Awards in previous years," said Hutchison.  "I appreciate Dr. Lee Mountain for crafting the award-winning nomination and I thank my colleagues and students for providing their thoughtful comments regarding my service.  It is important for me to extend to my College of Education community my appreciation and my pledge to continue to provide service to my department and college as we move forward together to become even more amazing."

"It is a privilege to nominate Dr. Laveria Hutchison for the Alumni Faculty Service Award," said Mountain.  "Dr. Laveria Hutchison has gone above and beyond to serve students, staff, and faculty and to foster their success within our college and within the context of UH’s Tier One goals."

Read more about the Star Awards.