Distinguished international family education alumni
Distinguished International Alumni Award
Dr. Shu-Ching Kao, Taiwan, was presented with the 2008 University of Minnesota Education and Human Development Alumni Society’s Distinguished International Alumni Award. Dr. Kao is director of the Center for Family Education Research and an associate professor in the Institute of Family Education and Counseling at National Chia-Yi University, Taiwan. She is an alumni of family education (M.A. '97, Ph.D. '98). The award is jointly presented by the College of Education and Human Development and the CEHD Alumni Society to honor distinguished accomplishments by College alumni in their home countries. Dr. Kao is shown in the photo above with Dr. Ruth Thomas, professor and chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
Dr. Geraldine Hodelin, Jamaica, received the University of Minnesota Education and Human Development Alumni Society’s Distinguished International Alumni Award in May of 2006. Dr. Hodelin received her master of arts in 1987 and a doctor of philosophy in 1999 from the University of Minnesota, both with specializations in family education. Dr. Hodelin’s advanced degrees prepared her to provide increasing levels of leadership within her home institution, the former College of Arts, Science, and Technology (CAST), Jamaica.
Family education legacy faculty
Distinguished alumni
Family Education Alumni
After receiving her M.A., Dr. Hodelin provided leadership for restructuring CAST from a college to become what is now the University of Technology, Jamaica. Her work included developing new baccalaureate degrees and restructuring programs. To further develop and extend her leadership efforts in Jamaica, the Caribbean region, and beyond, Dr. Hodelin later returned to Minnesota to pursue her doctoral degree. Upon completion of her Ph.D. in 1999, Dr. Hodelin was selected to be dean of the Faculty of Education and Liberal Studies, one of five faculties in the new University she helped create. As dean, Dr. Hodelin has developed additional baccalaureate programs, initiated graduate-level education, and strengthened teacher education and faculty and student research—efforts that strengthen the institution and its status in the region.
Dr. Hodelin’s many talents and interests also connect her to wide ranging initiatives throughout the Caribbean region and around the world. She is the current chair of the University Council of Jamaica Board of Studies for Teacher Education; has served actively on the executive committee of the International Federation for Home Economics, representing the Region of the Americas; currently chairs the Think Tank for the Caribbean Association of Home Economists; and continues to serve as editor of the Caribbean Journal of Home Economics.
Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals
Dr. Fouzia Saeed, Pakistan, was named 2008 winner of the University of Minnesota's Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals, and alumna of family education programs was held on September 30, 2008. The Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals is a University-wide award for alumni, former students, and friends of the University who have distinguished themselves in their post-university work as leaders in their professional careers. Dr. Saeed was honored by her colleagues in the College of Education and Human Development and the University's Office of International Programs for her work ensuring human rights for men, women, and children in Pakistan and in other countries where she has consulted.
Dr. Saeed's professional roles include Head of the Gender Unit for the United Nations Pakistan Office; Pakistan Country Director for Action Aid, International; and Director of Megergahr - A Center for Learning. In addition, she also co-founded Bedari (Pakistan's first organization to address violence against women); manages the Alliance Against Sexual Harassment (an alliance of seven Non-Governmental Organizations that work against sexual harassment in the workplace) and oversees legal aid projects for bonded workers. Dr. Saeed was also the author of <em>Taboo: The Hidden Culture of a Red Light Area</em>, which started a national conversation on the place of women and culture in Pakistan.
Dr. Saeed was also the 1998 recipient of the University of Minnesota Education and Human Development Alumni Society’s Distinguished International Alumni Award. She discussed her work and book, Taboo: The Hidden Culture of a Red Light Area in "Voices: Taking on Taboos," an article in Minnesota Magazine (July-August 2002).
