Dr. Herbert Achleitner selected as 2006 Roe R. Cross Distinguished Professor

An accomplished scholar and professor was recently selected as the 2006 Roe R. Cross Distinguished Professor. Dr. Herbert Achleitner, a professor in the School f Library and Information Management, was honored during a reception May 4.

“I felt very honored to be placed alongside the gallery of earlier worthy recipients. It is always fulfilling to have your life’s work recognized and praised,” Achleitner said. “I consider myself very fortunate to have had my years at ESU marked by wonderful students, colleagues, staff, and community.”

Achleitner, a member of the ESU faculty since 1982, teaches courses on the global information infrastructure, international information policy, knowledge and society, and information brokering; his research focuses on information transfer as it relates to the global information society and knowledge management in organizations. He has organized a series of international conferences in Kansas City, KS, Warsaw, Poland, and Sofia, Bulgaria. He recently co-edited Libraries, civil society and social development (2004).

Those who nominated Achleitner noted his research and quality scholarly work.

According to a nomination letter written by William H. Clamurro, Professor of Spanish, Herbert Achleitner has demonstrated beyond any question the highest levels of excellence in teaching, research, and service in many years at ESU. His work in all these areas represents a most admirable synthesis of the technical and quantitative rigor of information science and also the philosophical and humanistic imagination and breadth inherent in the best traditions of the historian.

Achleitner has been praised for sense of humor in the classroom and innovative teaching styles.

As a teacher, he (Achleitner) has developed a Socratic style of teaching which forces students to think creatively. He has a reputation among students as a demanding, fair, and knowledgeable instructor. He continuously updates his courses and employs new technology, according to a nomination letter from Robert Grover, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Graduate Studies.

He holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Colorado, Boulder and an MLS from the University of Denver. He worked as a consultant for the US Information Agency in Paraguay and Poland, and the World Bank in Paraguay. He served as a consultant on the Chief of Staff US Army Training and Leader Development Executive Panel for two years. In the fall of 2001, he was a visiting professor at the University of Sofia, Department of Library and Information Science and in the spring of 2005 at the University of Belgrade, Serbia on a Fulbright Senior Specialist grant. In 2004 he was awarded the “St. Kliment Ohridski” University of Sofia Blue Ribbon Medal for Distinguished Service. 

Since 1979, the Roe R. Cross Distinguished Professor Award has been given annually to the ESU professor who best demonstrates teaching excellence, professional activities, fostering of intellectual atmosphere, service to the university outside the classroom, and status as a student mentor. The award includes $1,000 to be used for professional activities. As part of the duties as the Roe R. Cross Distinguished Professor, Achleitner will deliver the winter commencement address.

Last Updated July 2, 2007>