On March 9, 2018, Timothy K. Eatman, the inaugural dean of the Honors Living-Learning Community (HLLC) and an associate professor in the Department of Urban Education at Rutgers University–Newark (RU-N), was honored by the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC) at its annual Distinguished Alumni & Young Alumni Achievement Awards ceremony in Champaign, Illinois. He is one of seven to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award.
Eatman joined RU-N more than a year ago to head the HLLC, a transformative college access and success program that fosters the academic, social, and personal development of talented students with diverse life experiences who desire to make a difference in their communities and beyond. With an innovative curriculum centered on themes of “Local Citizenship in a Global World,” the HLLC is an RU-N initiative that is revolutionizing the notion of “honors” by creating intergenerational and interdisciplinary learning communities comprised of students, faculty, and community partners focused on tackling some of the nation’s most pressing social issues. Dynamic students are selected to join a living-learning community and intergenerational network across all intersections of identity focused on cultivating knowledge, fostering understanding across and within groups, and activating social, institutional, and cultural change.
College of Education at UIUC Dean James D. Anderson said welcoming back accomplished graduates like Eatman is one of the highlights of the college’s academic year.
“Our college takes pride in the work they have produced, the research they have conducted, and the impact they have made,” Anderson said. “Those being honored have truly made a difference in their various fields and to education as a whole.”
Eatman is a widely sought-after speaker, workshop facilitator, and collaborator who has earned worldwide recognition for his leadership in advancing research and practice on the multifaceted impact of publicly engaged scholarship in 21st-century-universities. He also is a member of several boards, including the International Association for Research on Service Learning and Community Engagement, through which he earned the 2010 Early Career Research Award. His breadth of research and field experience has led to a number of publications, including a co-edited volume titled The Cambridge Handbook on Service Learning and Community Engagement (Cambridge University Press, 2017).
“Congratulations to Dean Eatman,” cheered Sherri-Ann Butterfield, RU-N executive vice chancellor and HLLC co-founder. “We value and honor Tim’s spirit and leadership, and his outstanding achievement in his scholarship and in service to community. Tim is more than worthy of such recognition, and I am pleased to see that Illinois thinks so too.”
