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Professorship honors Reed's abilities as educational leader

Dr. Cindy Reed

As director of Auburn University’s Truman Pierce Institute, Cindy Reed has made it her mission to help school systems and educators identify ways to better serve their students and communities.

That passion for improving teaching, learning, and leadership made Reed an ideal fit for the first Emily R. and Gerald S. Leischuck Endowed Professorship for Educational Leadership. Reed, a professor of educational leadership in the College of Education’s Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Technology, earned the designation in fall 2011.

The professorship was established in 2007 by College of Education alumni Dr. Gerald and Mrs. Emily Leischuck, both of whom are 1964 graduates of the university. The award is especially meaningful to Reed given the Leischucks’ respective legacies at Auburn University.

“I am truly honored to be selected as the first Gerald and Emily Leischuck endowed professor in educational leadership,” Reed said. “This honor is especially meaningful to me for two reasons. First, it is named after two people for whom I have the greatest respect because of their selfless service to Auburn University and the greater community. …

“Second, I am humbled because the endowed professorship is intended to recognize someone who is well respected in their field and who addresses critical needs in education.”

Dr. Leischuck served in a variety of capacities during his 35-year career at Auburn, retiring as secretary of the Board of Trustees. Mrs. Leischuck’s 21-year career at the university included appointments in Student Affairs and as assistant to the president, a position from which she retired in 1995.

Reed, who joined the Auburn faculty in 1997, serves on a variety of state-level educational task forces, commissions, and committees. As director of the Truman Pierce Institute, a research and outreach center of the College of Education, she oversees research and programs related to educational reform and leadership development. Reed is also well-respected at the national level.

In November, the University Council for Educational Administration elected Reed as its president-elect. She will be installed as the organization’s 52^nd president in November 2012, becoming the third Auburn faculty member to achieve the distinction. Former College of Education Deans Truman Pierce and Frances Kochan each previously served as presidents of the organization, which is now an international consortium of top higher education institutions with high quality educational leadership preparation programs.

Additonally, Reed has played a pivotal role in creating dialogue and encouraging collaboration between school systems and state and community entities. In July, as part of her 2011 Presidential Administrative Fellowship , Reed hosted more than 50 Alabama teachers, administrators, policymakers, business owners, and community leaders for an education summit aimed at encouraging collaboration to address the state’s most pressing education issues. Reed also took a lead role in developing the Anti-Bullying Summit co-hosted by Auburn University’s Office of Professional and Continuing Education and the Truman Pierce Institute in June 2011. Plans for a second Anti-Bullying Summit to be held in the summer of 2012 are underway.

Reed said she is thankful for the support provided by Dr. and Mrs. Leischuck, as well as the university.

“To have my work in Alabama and beyond recognized in this way is a major capstone in my career,” she said. “I am very grateful to the Leischucks, to those who served on the selection committee, and to Auburn University for providing me with so many opportunities to address educational needs throughout our state, the region, and beyond.”

Last Updated: Dec 05, 2011