James O'Driscoll Distinguished Service Awards

The James O'Driscoll Distinguished Service Award is named in honor of James O' Driscoll who served as Chair of Region X in 1990-1991 and held national leadership positions in both TESOL and NAFSA. James was a mentor to many involved in international education and a colleague to many more. He was a longtime associate of the Institute of International Education (IIE), having joined IIE in the late 1960's. He also sat on the Board of Directors of Metro International. He was instrumental in the establishment of both the American Association of Intensive English Language Programs (AAIEP) and the Consortium of University and College Intensive English Programs (UCIEP).

As head of the English Language Placement at IIE, James played a significant role in gaining credibility for the TESOL profession and the IEP industry as well as creating and publishing the first ELOPUS. One of his last public contributions to the field was running the TESOL Summer Institute in 1992 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. James died in April 1993, ironically during the weekend of the national TESOL conference, the first national conference he had ever missed. James O'Driscoll received NAFSA's Homer Higbee Award posthumously.

The award is by nomination of current region X members. Nominations must demonstrate exceptional service to Region X, the furtherance of interests of international educational exchange, and active participation in regional activities, projects and programs.

Past recipients of the James O'Driscoll Distinguished Service Award are:

• 1989 Mike Smithee
• 1992 Claire Fay
• 1994 Institute for International Education
• 1996 Joe Williams, Gail Szenes, Eugene Goldstein
• 1997 Sal Longarino
• 1998 Helen Stevens, Jerry Wilcox
• 1999 Mary Ann Campbell
• 2000 Roger Bowen, Miriam Cheikh-ali
• 2002 Metro International
• 2004 Mary F. Idzior
• 2005 Ellen Badger
• 2006 Pat Burak
• 2007 Laura Taylor
• 2008 Marion Boultbee
• 2009 Erika Rohrbach