President Hurwitz to receive Washington University in St. Louis School of Engineering Alumni Achievement Award

Gallaudet University President T. Alan Hurwitz has been selected to receive the Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) School of Engineering Alumni Achievement Award for 2013. Hurwitz graduated from WUSTL with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering in 1965.

The Washington University in St. Louis School of Engineering Alumni Achievement Award is presented to alumni who have a track record of outstanding career achievements as well as active participation in public service and professional organizations. Hurwitz will be presented with the award at a ceremony on April 18, 2013 in St. Louis, Mo.

“I am grateful to be recognized by my alma mater for this prestigious honor,” said Hurwitz. I credit the university, my former professors and advisors, and classmates for the quality education and experience I received while at WUSTL. My degree has served me well in both the engineering field and in higher education and helped prepare me for my role today as president of Gallaudet University.

>After receiving his undergraduate degree from WUSTL, Hurwitz began his career as an associate electronics engineer and computer programmer and analyst before he transitioned to the field of higher education at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), one of eight colleges within the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, NY. Hurwitz went on to become& president of NTID and also served as dean of NTID and as vice president and dean of RIT. Hurwitz became the tenth president of Gallaudet University on January 1, 2010.

Throughout his career, Hurwitz has been involved with many professional and deafness-related organizations including American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities, Association on Higher Education and Disabilities, American Association of Higher Education, American Society for Deaf Children, Inc., Telecommunications for the Deaf, Inc., and American Educational Research Association. Hurwitz is currently chair of the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Presidents Council, the first deaf person to hold this position in NEAC history. He previously served as the NEAC Presidents Council vice-chair. Hurwitz is also a past president of the National Association of the Deaf as well as the World Organization of Jewish Deaf.

Hurwitz has been widely published and lectured extensively throughout the world on topics such as education, rights for people with disabilities, deaf culture, and American Sign Language.

Hurwitz has a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from St. Louis University and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in curriculum and teaching from the University of Rochester.

Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution of higher education that ensures the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard of hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English. Gallaudet maintains a proud tradition of research and scholarly activity and prepares its graduates for career opportunities in a highly competitive, technological, and rapidly changing world.

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