Human Development professor Judith Torney-Purta
to receive the University of Maryland 2005 Landmark Award

Judith Torney-Purta

COLLEGE PARK, MD (November 2005) - Professor Judith Torney-Purta, Department of Human Development, has been named the 2005 recipient of the university's International Landmark Award. Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, William Destler, will make the presentation during the University of Maryland International Awards Ceremony at 3 p.m., Dec. 7 in the Prince George's Room, Stamp Student Union.

Award recipients are chosen by the International Programs Strategy Group based on nominations from peers and the nominee's record of accomplishments in the international arena.

"The Landmark Award is given annually by the Office of International Programs to a faculty member who provides contributions to the development of international institutional programs on campus and has demonstrated a distinguished international career," said Saul Sosnowski, director of international programs at the university. "Dr. Torney-Purta's distinguished scholarly work was an additional factor in her selection."

Torney-Purta was also recognized earlier this year as one of five national recipients of the Decade of Behavior 's 2005 Research Award for her work with the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement and its IEA Civic Education Study. She served as the International Steering Committee Chair of this decade-long study in which 140,000 adolescents from nearly 30 countries were tested on their knowledge of civic topics and surveyed about their political attitudes and engagement.

The University of Maryland International Awards Ceremony is open to all members of the campus community and public at large. For further information, contact Lucie Covey, Office of International Programs, via email at: lcovey@umd.edu.

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Dr. Judith Torney-Purta earned her Ph.D. in Human Development in 1965 from the Division of Social Sciences at the University of Chicago. Over her 24 years at the University of Maryland, she has become a renowned authority on developmental, educational, and cross-cultural psychology. An interdisciplinary approach has been a hallmark of her research. She has collaborated with faculty across departments at Maryland, including the Department of Government and Politics and the School of Public Affairs. Her impressive body of published work includes her books, Civic Education across Countries: Twenty-four National Case Studies from the IEA Civic Education Study , which received the CHOICE Award from the American Library Association as an Outstanding Academic Book of the Year, and Civic Education in Twenty-Eight Contries: Civic Knowledge and Engagement at Age Fourteen . Torney-Purta was elected by the general assembly of the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, Amsterdam) as an honorary member. She was also recently appointed to the U.S. National Committee for Psychology (at the National Academy of Sciences). Torney-Purta is the recipient of many awards and honors, including the International Mentor Award from the American Psychological Association, Division 52.

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