Abramson ceremony to air on OETA Saturday

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Abramson ceremony to air on OETA Saturday

Dr. Charles I. Abramson, Regents Professor of Psychology at OSU, was honored as the winner of the Oklahoma Medal for Excellence in Teaching at a Research University by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence at its annual awards banquet on May 19 at the Renaissance Tulsa Convention Center. OETA will broadcast the awards ceremonies this Saturday, May 26, at 8 p.m.

     A 26-year teaching veteran, Abramson teaches courses on the psychology of learning, the history of psychology and comparative psychology. Abramson and four other winners in various categories received a $5,000 cash prize and a glass “Roots and Wings” sculpture, designed by the late Oklahoma artist Ron Roberts and produced by Jim Triffo of Oklahoma City. Medals are awarded annually to outstanding Oklahoma teachers, one each at the elementary, secondary, community college/regional university and research university levels as well as one to an exceptional administrator from the elementary or secondary level.

     In addition to Abramson, this year’s Medal for Excellence winners are: Teresa Potter, Fisher Elementary School, Moore, elementary teaching; Dr. Betsy Ballard, Norman High School, Norman, secondary teaching; Dr. Gladys S. Lewis, professor of English, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, regional university/community college teaching; and Kathryn Turner of Blanchard, recently retired superintendent of Fletcher Public Schools, elementary/secondary administration.

     “We know that education is the best investment Oklahoma can make in its future,” said David L. Boren, founder and chairman of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, a non-profit organization that recognizes and encourages academic excellence in the state’s public schools. “By honoring these exceptional educators, we are sending a message that Oklahomans deeply value excellence in public schools and the professionals who have given so much of themselves to enrich the lives of our children.”

     The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence also honored 100 of Oklahoma’s top public high school seniors as Academic All-Staters at the banquet. The event featured a keynote address by Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN’s flagship foreign affairs program “Fareed Zakaria GPS” and editor-at-large for “TIME” magazine. The Academic Awards Banquet is open to the public, with admission priced at $50. For more information, call the Foundation for Excellence office at (405) 236-0006 or visit its website at www.ofe.org.

     Founded in 1985, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is a statewide organization dedicated to recognizing and encouraging academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. Through its Academic Awards Program, the foundation has provided more than $3.8 million in scholarships and cash awards to honor outstanding students and exceptional educators.