Educational Specialist

The Dr. Eddie P. Ort Endowed Award in the School of Education

School of Education dean Mike Froning and Eddie Ort

Students who are conducting their final research project in the Education Specialist Degree (Ed.S.) program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction owe a debt of gratitude to Eddie P. Ort III, Ed.D. The longtime faculty member was instrumental in helping to establish the program, and now he and his family have created the Dr. Eddie P. Ort Endowed Award in the School of Education to assist students enrolled in it.

Having served as an administrator and faculty member at UAB for 27 years, Ort retired in 1996 after contributing significantly to the growth of the School of Education. He served as chair of the Department of Elementary Education and played a key role in the establishment of new major fields and certification programs in teacher education, and he subsequently served as professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. He also held many positions of leadership, including vice president, with the UAB Faculty Senate. Upon his retirement, Ort was appointed professor emeritus.

“Dr. Ort is a highly respected colleague and scholar who was instrumental in conceptualizing and developing the education specialist degree,” says Joseph C. Burns, Ed.D., associate professor of education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. “In particular, he advocated a substantial research component to better prepare our students to be producers of research in addition to consumers of research. On a personal level, I owe Dr. Ort a huge debt, not only for his mentoring during my initial years at UAB, but also for the many lessons learned by observing his professionalism and the manner by which he treated others.”

Maintaining the Momentum / Summer/Fall 2009