2015
Cynthia Ruder
Cindy Ruder is consistent in her conviction that the organization provides outstanding programs and opportunities for instructors of Russian. She goes out of her way to encourage her colleagues, in fact anyone she meets, to join ACTR, persuaded as she is and as she will tell them, that EVERY teacher of Russian should be a member.
She has devoted much time and energy to the organization as a member of the Board of Directors since 2000. She took on the task of administering the Scholar Laureate Award to post-secondary learners of Russian and ran the program from its beginning until she turned over that effort when she agreed to take on an even bigger responsibility, that of Treasurer. As such, she immediately faced a scenario in which the entire financial management structure of ACTR was changing, with many operations moving to the Washington office of American Councils for International Education. She oversaw that process with diligent attention and care, so that ACTR’s finances continue to be managed efficiently and carefully.
Cindy is involved in writing and editing testing items for the world language exams that American Councils for International Education administers to students of critical languages. She has written and edited a phenomenal number of items for the Prototype AP Russian exam, the Russian Flagship exam, and the Russian Outbound program exams. Those exams are of major importance in assessing language proficiency and Cindy’s work on them is invaluable.
Cindy does have a life outside ACTR and American Councils as well. She is Associate Professor of Russian at the University of Kentucky, where she has taught since 1990. She received the Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Teaching in 2000.
Her list of conference presentations, articles, and reviews is extensive, another indication of her service to the profession. She has written and presented on various aspects of Russian history in the Stalinist era, particularly the building of canals and the use of penal labor. She was the only non-Russian to participate in a conference organized to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the opening of the Moscow Canal.
We continue to benefit from her generous willingness to serve ACTR and are pleased to acknowledge her with the presentation of the ACTR Service Award.
Cindy Ruder is consistent in her conviction that the organization provides outstanding programs and opportunities for instructors of Russian. She goes out of her way to encourage her colleagues, in fact anyone she meets, to join ACTR, persuaded as she is and as she will tell them, that EVERY teacher of Russian should be a member.
She has devoted much time and energy to the organization as a member of the Board of Directors since 2000. She took on the task of administering the Scholar Laureate Award to post-secondary learners of Russian and ran the program from its beginning until she turned over that effort when she agreed to take on an even bigger responsibility, that of Treasurer. As such, she immediately faced a scenario in which the entire financial management structure of ACTR was changing, with many operations moving to the Washington office of American Councils for International Education. She oversaw that process with diligent attention and care, so that ACTR’s finances continue to be managed efficiently and carefully.
Cindy is involved in writing and editing testing items for the world language exams that American Councils for International Education administers to students of critical languages. She has written and edited a phenomenal number of items for the Prototype AP Russian exam, the Russian Flagship exam, and the Russian Outbound program exams. Those exams are of major importance in assessing language proficiency and Cindy’s work on them is invaluable.
Cindy does have a life outside ACTR and American Councils as well. She is Associate Professor of Russian at the University of Kentucky, where she has taught since 1990. She received the Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Teaching in 2000.
Her list of conference presentations, articles, and reviews is extensive, another indication of her service to the profession. She has written and presented on various aspects of Russian history in the Stalinist era, particularly the building of canals and the use of penal labor. She was the only non-Russian to participate in a conference organized to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the opening of the Moscow Canal.
We continue to benefit from her generous willingness to serve ACTR and are pleased to acknowledge her with the presentation of the ACTR Service Award.
The list of past recipients of the award will be published later.