Alla Smyslova Received 2021 ACTR Service Award
Alla Smyslova exemplifies the sort of professional for whom the ACTR Service Award was created. She is totally devoted to supporting and enhancing the initiatives of the organization, and to maintaining and expanding ACTR’s presence in the Russian field and in the field of foreign languages in general. As a matter of fact, the first word that comes to her colleagues’ minds when they think of Alla is generous. All who work with Alla benefit personally and professionally from Alla’s generosity.
Alla has been generously serving ACTR on the Board of Directors since 2010. On the Board, she not only became active in recruiting new members but mentored them. Under her guidance as Chair of the ACTR National Post-Secondary Russian Scholar Laureate Award Program, new and veteran members of the Board enjoy serving the profession as they invite institutions to share the successes of students studying and learning Russian in the many post-secondary programs around the country. One of the highlights of an ACTR Board Meeting is to hear Alla excitedly talk about the nominations provided to her committee.
And, the excitement doesn’t stop there. Alla is one of the Co-chairs of the National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest and to hear her praise of the student submissions, one would think that they were all from her classroom.
From serving as the Chair of the Nominations Committee to assisting colleagues serving the Board, Alla is now the Vice-president of ACTR and active member of the Executive Committee.
Alla serves the profession far beyond the work of ACTR. When the field responded to the need to design and develop the Prototype AP® Russian Exam, once again Alla was happy to provide her expertise. She was a member of the Russian Standard Setting Committee, The Exam Development Committee and wrote Integrated Tasks for the Prototype AP® Russian Exam, designed for all learners of Russian. In 2007 Alla helped to promote the exam through her AATSEEL Conference Presentation “The Prototype AP® Russian Examination in the Heritage Speaker Program”.
The impact of Alla’s generosity can be felt from within the walls of the Columbia University Russian classrooms (now extended virtually) where her students enjoy a wide variety of course offerings that she has designed, developed, and taught to participating in professional development opportunities for Russian teachers in Staten Island, NY, judging at the NYC Olympiada, and presenting at the MAPRYAL Conferences around the world. Most recently, Alla represented the American Delegation at the May,2019 MAPRYAL (International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature), General Assembly.
Alla is the co-author of the online textbook «Между нами» used widely in college and pre-college Russian Language programs, the recipient of the 2017 AATSEEL Prize for Best Contribution to Pedagogy. When one thinks about Alla’s contributions to pedagogy, we immediate associate her with impressive research, course development, and instruction of heritage learners in the United States. Alla’s course, Russian for Heritage Speakers, was recognized in The American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ report Investing in Language Education for the 21st Century as a model that can be adopted elsewhere in the US and applied to other heritage languages.
Another word that describes Alla is “passionate.” Anyone who has seen her deep in intense conversation with a fellow Board member, or who has spent time on an equally intense phone call with her, could vouch for her total commitment to serving ACTR. She cares broadly, deeply, and personally, about every aspect of the organization. If you receive an email from her, be sure to open it and read it! It frequently contains a thoughtful response, innovative idea, and/or an offer to assist a fellow colleague!
Finally, Alla is an articulate, engaged, dinner companion, as those of us who have spent restaurant time with her can verify.
Alla has been generously serving ACTR on the Board of Directors since 2010. On the Board, she not only became active in recruiting new members but mentored them. Under her guidance as Chair of the ACTR National Post-Secondary Russian Scholar Laureate Award Program, new and veteran members of the Board enjoy serving the profession as they invite institutions to share the successes of students studying and learning Russian in the many post-secondary programs around the country. One of the highlights of an ACTR Board Meeting is to hear Alla excitedly talk about the nominations provided to her committee.
And, the excitement doesn’t stop there. Alla is one of the Co-chairs of the National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest and to hear her praise of the student submissions, one would think that they were all from her classroom.
From serving as the Chair of the Nominations Committee to assisting colleagues serving the Board, Alla is now the Vice-president of ACTR and active member of the Executive Committee.
Alla serves the profession far beyond the work of ACTR. When the field responded to the need to design and develop the Prototype AP® Russian Exam, once again Alla was happy to provide her expertise. She was a member of the Russian Standard Setting Committee, The Exam Development Committee and wrote Integrated Tasks for the Prototype AP® Russian Exam, designed for all learners of Russian. In 2007 Alla helped to promote the exam through her AATSEEL Conference Presentation “The Prototype AP® Russian Examination in the Heritage Speaker Program”.
The impact of Alla’s generosity can be felt from within the walls of the Columbia University Russian classrooms (now extended virtually) where her students enjoy a wide variety of course offerings that she has designed, developed, and taught to participating in professional development opportunities for Russian teachers in Staten Island, NY, judging at the NYC Olympiada, and presenting at the MAPRYAL Conferences around the world. Most recently, Alla represented the American Delegation at the May,2019 MAPRYAL (International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature), General Assembly.
Alla is the co-author of the online textbook «Между нами» used widely in college and pre-college Russian Language programs, the recipient of the 2017 AATSEEL Prize for Best Contribution to Pedagogy. When one thinks about Alla’s contributions to pedagogy, we immediate associate her with impressive research, course development, and instruction of heritage learners in the United States. Alla’s course, Russian for Heritage Speakers, was recognized in The American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ report Investing in Language Education for the 21st Century as a model that can be adopted elsewhere in the US and applied to other heritage languages.
Another word that describes Alla is “passionate.” Anyone who has seen her deep in intense conversation with a fellow Board member, or who has spent time on an equally intense phone call with her, could vouch for her total commitment to serving ACTR. She cares broadly, deeply, and personally, about every aspect of the organization. If you receive an email from her, be sure to open it and read it! It frequently contains a thoughtful response, innovative idea, and/or an offer to assist a fellow colleague!
Finally, Alla is an articulate, engaged, dinner companion, as those of us who have spent restaurant time with her can verify.
