Professor Eboni Zamani-Gallaher of the Department of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership was recognized April 10 with the Senior Scholar Award, given by the Council for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC). She is the first person of color to receive the honor.

The award recognizes scholars for their publications that contribute to the national body of knowledge about community colleges. Other credentials for the honor include candidates’ demonstrated excellence in teaching, advising, or mentoring; integration of knowledge to teaching and service; and contributions toward significant new discoveries in community college research or practice.

Zamani-Gallaher joined CSCC nearly 20 years ago as she was nearing completion of her doctoral studies. At the time, she was thrilled to meet in person some of the scholars whose work she had read and studied. Today, Zamani-Gallaher said she is “deeply honored” to receive the CSCC award.

“My involvement in CSCC over the years has facilitated my professional and personal growth,” she said. “This award, for me, demonstrates that I have been able to stay true to my academic and creative endeavors, be of service, and make a knowledge contribution to the field.”

Pamela Eddy, a professor of higher education at the College of William and Mary, nominated Zamani-Gallaher. Eddy will be on the Illinois campus April 13 to give a Dean’s Diversity Lecture titled “Developing and Retaining Leadership Talent: Fostering Advancement for Diverse Faculty and Staff.”

Eddy has known Zamani-Gallaher for more than 20 years and has seen firsthand how her research within the community-college sector has influenced society, and how it investigates diversity and student services.

And Zamani-Gallaher does it all with a “human touch,” Eddy said.

“She gives unselfishly of herself with respect to development of her students, works with mentoring junior faculty at other institutions, and believes passionately in the mission of two-year colleges,” Eddy said. “As we think of whom we recognize, it was important to me that Eboni, her work, and her influence through mentoring others be highlighted.”   

Though she could not attend in person, Zamani-Gallaher shared a video acceptance of the honor during the organization’s 59th annual CSCC Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. The 2017 theme was “A New Pair of Glasses: Community College Issues Viewed through New Lenses and Frames.”