COE’s KerryAnn O’Meara Honored with Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Award
The University of Maryland has named COE Professor KerryAnn O’Meara a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher. The prestigious university-wide award honors a few faculty each year, with Dr. O’Meara being one of just six university professors to receive the award in 2021. The award recognizes faculty success and accomplishments in teaching and research.
“My research, teaching and mentoring, and engaged practice at UMD and in the field of higher education have always been highly integrated. This honor, from my academic home, acknowledges that integration and I am grateful to my students, colleagues and academic leaders who have been my collaborators, mentors, and colleagues in pursuit of equity-minded reform of academic spaces,” Dr. O’Meara commented.
Dr. O’Meara’s research focuses on topics such as faculty participation and diverse scholarship in the academy, with particular attention to facilitating institutional policies, practices, and cultures that are inclusive and equitable for all faculty. Having served on multiple editorial boards, such as the Journal of Higher Education, and given 150 keynote addresses ranging from Harvard University to the National Academies of Science, Dr. O’Meara is a dedicated scholar of higher education. In 2020, she served as president of the Association of the Study of Higher Education.
She has also published widely in the field, including 50 published peer review journal articles, 20 book chapters, 1 book, 1 edited book, and 13 scholarly magazine articles. Notably, 31 of her peer reviewed articles have been published with students. Moreover, Dr. O’Meara is a recipient of the College of Education Excellence in Graduate Mentoring (2019) and Graduate Mentor of the Year Awards (2012), demonstrating her commitment to students.
In nominating Dr. O’Meara for the Distinguished-Scholar Teacher Award, former COE doctoral student Corbin Campbell—now associate dean of academic affairs at American University—pointed to Dr. O’Meara as an inspiration and exemplary role model.
“What stands out most about KerryAnn as a teacher and mentor is her role modeling. Dr. O’Meara is inspiring in every aspect of her life as a scholar—both professionally and personally,” Dr. Corbin said.
“It is difficult to convey the enormous impact Dr. O’Meara has had on cultivating my teaching and research skills, engendering my passion for the professoriate, and mentoring me throughout my career pre-tenure and now as an administrator.”
The Distinguished-Scholar Teacher Award comes with a $5,000 honorarium, which supports instructional and scholarly activities. At COE, Dr. O’Meara is a professor in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education and Special Education and special assistant to the president for strategic initiatives.
