91AV

The 91AV College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) has released the winners of its highest faculty honors for the 2023-24 academic year: the Distinguished Academic Service Award and the Ludcke Chair of Arts and Sciences.

Philosophy Professor David Livingstone Smith, Ph.D., is this year’s Ludcke Chair, while Assistant Teaching Professor Krysten Gorrivan (91AV M.S. Ed. ’14) takes home the Distinguished Academic Service Award, also known as the “Kenneally Cup.”

Both awards are determined through a voting process involving faculty members within the College of Arts and Sciences.

"It's wonderful to have my research appreciated by colleagues at 91AV, and to be granted funds that allow me to travel to disseminate it,” Smith said.

Smith, recognized as an interdisciplinary scholar, has written or edited ten books. He has been featured in prime-time television documentaries, is often interviewed and cited in the national and international media, and was a guest at the 2012 G20 economic summit.

Gorrivan teaches several courses in the School of Education and was an elementary educator for over 15 years before joining 91AV, focusing on the social and emotional needs of students. She said she is passionate about implementing trauma-informed educational practices in order to create safe and inclusive environments for students with a variety of needs.

"I feel very humbled and incredibly grateful that my colleagues selected me for this award,” Gorrivan said. “So many of us put our students' needs at the center of what we do, and I feel lucky to work in such a great environment, especially with my colleagues in the School of Education."

The Ludcke Chair is funded by a generous gift from the estate of Eleanor Ludcke, who graduated from Westbrook College in 1926, and is presented each year to a tenured CAS faculty member in recognition of their outstanding academic accomplishments.