Columbia College announces that Dr. John Zubizarreta has been elected Vice President of the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC).  Dr. Zubizarreta will progress through the leadership ranks to become president of the 800-member organization in 2010.  He will also be conference chair of the 2009 NCHC annual conference to be held in Washington, D.C.
 
“Dr. Z,” as he is well known among his colleagues and students, is professor of English and director of honors and faculty development at Columbia College. A Carnegie Foundation/C.A.S.E. Professor for South Carolina and winner of numerous national and international teaching awards, he is the author of The Learning Portfolio: Reflective Practice for Improving Student Learning and co-author of The Robert Frost Encyclopedia and Inspiring Exemplary Teaching and Learning: Perspectives on Teaching Academically Talented College Students as well as numerous articles and book chapters on literary subjects and improvement and assessment of teaching, learning, and academic leadership. One of his greatest passions is directing Columbia College’s Honors Program, which, in his twenty-year tenure at the college, has earned an enviable national reputation through its innovative teaching and learning; its challenging opportunities for students in academic, leadership, and service development; and its impressive record of alumnae in prestigious graduate, law, medical, and professional schools and careers across the United States.
 
The National Collegiate Honors Council is a consortium of institutions of higher learning focused on advancing excellence in undergraduate education.  NCHC values an atmosphere that promotes academic opportunity and challenge for honors students and faculty. Within this intellectual environment, members of honors communities demonstrate integrity, respect, and exemplary learning and teaching. Through the honors experience, participants realize enhanced personal, social, and intellectual development.  The NCHC recognizes the importance of life-long learning and social responsibility in preparing individuals for an increasingly complex world. These beliefs and values are reinforced among member institutions through the collegiality and shared purpose of the NCHC.
 
Columbia College is a private liberal arts women's college with a legacy of developing women leaders with the courage, commitment, confidence and competence to build a better world. In addition to the Women’s College, coeducational evening and graduate programs are also offered. Enrollment is 1500 students from 23 states and 20 countries. Columbia College is also home to the Leadership Institute and the Alliance for Women, a network of colleges, universities, government agencies, non-profit organizations, corporations, and individuals dedicated to working together to bring about positive changes that will improve the lives of all citizens of the State. For more information about Columbia College visit www.columbiacollegesc.edu.