February 20, 2008
Kleinfeld receives 2008 Edith R. Bullock Prize for Excellence
For Immediate Release
February 20, 2008
Judith Kleinfeld, psychology professor, director of the national Boys Project and
co-director of the Northern Studies program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks,
is this year's recipient of the University of Alaska Foundation's prestigious Edith
R. Bullock Prize for Excellence.
Ann Parrish, chair of the University of Alaska Foundation Board of Trustees, which
awards the prize, made the announcement today. The foundation is the non-profit entity
that solicits and manages private donations solely for the benefit of the university.
Parrish said Kleinfeld's contributions to higher education cover a large range of
subjects and opinions, including controversial ones. She has done research on the
high and distinctive cognitive abilities of Alaska Natives, studied the weaknesses
of the former boarding school system and worked to help children with fetal alcohol
syndrome, providing hope for children and their families. The professor researches
her subjects with passion and keen insight, Parrish said.
"She is a fearless investigator and candid commentator on many issues important to
the times in which we live," Parrish said. "The University of Alaska is lucky to have
such a courageous academic in our midst."
UAF History Professor and past Bullock Prize recipient Terrence Cole nominated Kleinfeld.
"Dr. Kleinfeld has many, many achievements over the past four decades--a record surpassed
by no one at the University of Alaska, past or present," he said.
Kleinfeld received her bachelor's degree in English literature from Wellesley College
and both her master's and doctorate in education from Harvard University. She has
taught at the university since 1969.
Her awards and honors for teaching, research and public service include the Robert
Piacenza Award for Teaching in the Honors Program, the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce's
Community Service Award and the Emil Usibelli Award for Distinguished Research. Since
1984 she has written a column every other week on a variety of education and social
science issues for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Daily News. She is
the author of five books and numerous articles.
Two years ago she founded the Boys Project, a national and international consortium
of researchers, educators and writers concerned about the gap of boys in educational
achievement. The U.S. Department of Education, state and local school boards are now
rethinking roles and expectations of boys in the public school system. She has been
invited to several White House conferences, where she has spoken on the problems of
boys and the strategies that connect boys to school.
"A faculty member with Dr. Kleinfeld's longevity and commitment to issues important
to Alaska is a real asset to the university and to the state of Alaska," said UAF
Chancellor Steve Jones. "We at UAF couldn't be more proud to have her as this year's
recipient of the Bullock Prize for Excellence."
The Bullock prize, which provides a $20,000 cash award, is the largest single award
made annually by the foundation's Board of Trustees. The prize was created through
a charitable gift from the late Edith R. Bullock, who served the university for 30
years as a member of the Board of Regents and the foundation's Board of Trustees.
Bullock was also a member of the Alaska Territorial House of Representatives and Senate.
For a 200 dpi photo of Kleinfeld, go to http://www.alaska.edu/opa/press/judith_kleinfeld.jpg
For more information, contact Brandi Berg at the UA Foundation at 907-450-8030 or
Professor Kleinfeld at 907-474-5266.