National Council for Geographic Education Celebrates 2017 Award Recipients

The National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE), an organization with more than a century of leadership in promoting high-quality geography teaching and learning, has announced the recipients of its 2017 awards recognizing excellence across the field of geographic education. The annual awards program highlights educators, researchers, mentors, and supporters whose work strengthens geography instruction and advances geographic literacy at local, national, and global levels.

Award honorees were scheduled to be recognized during a special ceremony held at the 2017 National Conference on Geography Education in Albuquerque, New Mexico. NCGE leadership emphasized that the award recipients represent exceptional creativity, dedication, and innovation in helping students better understand the world through geography education.

The Council’s highest recognition, the George J. Miller Award for Distinguished Service to Geographic Education, was presented to Donald Zeigler of Old Dominion University for his lifetime contributions to advancing geographic learning. The Distinguished Mentor Award, recognizing university faculty whose mentorship significantly influences future geographers and educators, was awarded to Joseph Stoltman of Western Michigan University and Derek Alderman of the University of Tennessee.

Creativity in classroom instruction was celebrated through the Brunn Creativity Award for Geography Education, which honored Chris Bunin, Andrew Dojack, and Julie Stavitski for innovative K–12 teaching practices. Contributions supporting geography education beyond the classroom were recognized through the Outstanding Support for Geography Education Award, presented to Paul Hunt, Joyce Youngblood, and Naeema Al Hosani.

Excellence in higher education instruction was acknowledged with the Higher Education Distinguished Teaching Award, awarded to Lesli Rawlings, Ezra Zeitler, Fenda Akiwumi, Casey Allen, and Joseph Stoltman. In the area of educational media, Kathryn Keranen and Lyn Malone received the Geographic Excellence in Media Award for The Instructional Guide for The ArcGIS Book, highlighting innovative resources that support geography instruction.

Outstanding teaching achievements at the primary and secondary levels were recognized through the K–12 Distinguished Teaching Awards, presented to educators including Andrew Dojack, Brian Davis, Julie Stavitski, Kyle Tredinnick, Maryann Sansonetti-Wood, LeaAnn Wyrick, Robin Manning, and Rosa Clara Salazar. The Women in Geographic Education Scholarship was awarded to Rebecca Kranitz in recognition of her academic promise and commitment to the field.

Research excellence was also acknowledged through the Salvatore J. Natoli Dissertation Award, presented to Stacey Kerr, while scholarly contributions were recognized through several publication-based honors. Awards for outstanding articles in the Journal of Geography and The Geography Teacher highlighted research on topics such as spatial thinking development, GIS training effectiveness, geography perspectives in Advanced Placement coursework, and the geographic patterns of political voting. The Best Lesson Plan Award was presented to Ronald Morris for instructional work focused on teaching local and state history through experiential learning.

Through its awards program, NCGE continues to highlight the importance of geography education in preparing students to understand global systems, environmental challenges, and cultural connections. As a nonprofit professional organization, the Council supports educators through research initiatives, professional development programs, curriculum standards, and publications designed to strengthen geography teaching and expand geographic literacy worldwide.