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Kim Hanks (in blue jacket), who recently earned her Ed.S. (education specialist certificate) from WIU's educational leadership program, won the Paul D. Houston Award and a $2,500 scholarship from the American Association of School Administrators. She is pictured here with Dr. Sandra Watkins, associate professor in WIU's educational leadership program, and Dr. Mike Johnson, former director of the Illinois School Board Association.
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WIU Ed Leadership Alum Wins National AASA Award

March 9, 2010

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MACOMB, IL -- For Kim Hanks of West Peoria (IL), 2010 started off with a bit of shock. Shortly after the beginning of the new year, Hanks, who recently earned her Ed.S. (education specialist certificate) from Western's educational leadership department, was notified she had won the Paul D. Houston Award and a $2,500 scholarship from the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). She also learned that she would be traveling to Phoenix in mid-February to receive the national honor, one of only seven graduate students and education administrators in the nation to receive the AASA's annual $2,500 scholarship award.

Hanks, who serves as the assistant principal for Bartonville (IL) Grade School Unit 66, said she was a bit stunned when she received the news. She noted that she didn't really believe she had a shot at it.

"I feel like I am just a regular person, and I guess I don't really see myself in that way. In fact, I almost forgot to submit the paperwork. When Dr. Watkins told me she had nominated me, honestly, I kind of blew it off at first. I just didn't believe that I realistically would be in the running for it. But I finally submitted the paperwork, because I wanted to live up to the faculty members' expectations," Hanks said.

Sandra Watkins, associate professor in Western's educational leadership program, is among the faculty members who nominated Hanks for the AASA's scholarship award program.

"Kim is a truly gifted instructional leader. She is very goal oriented, as well. She is also internally motivated and has high standards for herself and for the teachers she supervises," noted Watkins. "She believes in accountability for student achievement results -- she is someone who definitely questions the status quo. Still, Kim remains very optimistic and passionate about making a difference in her role as an educational leader," she added.

In addition to Watkins' vote of confidence, Hanks was supported by a letter of nomination from Nick DiGrino, dean of the College of Education and Human Services, as well as a letter from West Peoria Mayor James Dillon. Since she moved to West Peoria in 1994 with her family, Hanks has been very active in civic life there, serving as a city council member for the municipality, as well as serving as a member of West Peoria's city planning commission.

"I think all school systems need more professionals like Kim," Dillon said. "She is a quality teacher and administrator, as well as a devoted citizen. Despite her busy schedule, she accepted two appointments for vacancies in the West Peoria City Council, and she always served with excellence," he added.

For her own contribution to the award nomination, Hanks had to answer five questions. In one of them, she discussed a personal experience that has helped shape her perception of the education system.

"I wrote about my son. He was born prematurely, and at the beginning of his life, it was a life-and-death kind of situation. But the physician's approach was to do whatever it took for him to survive. The doctors also included my husband and me as partners in the process to save his life. Every step of the way, they included us," Hanks explained. "But when it was time for him to attend school, the system was not prepared to provide him with the learning facilities he needed. He has cerebral palsy, he's visually impaired and he can only use one hand. And when he started school, he couldn't walk or talk. He was very delayed. So, the premise of my essay was, like physicians faced with life-and-death situations, education administrators need to instill and practice a sense of urgency -- just like for my son when he was born. Each child that is in our education system deserves everything we've got to help them be successful, whether it's someone who needs to be enriched, or someone, like my son, who has a lot of extra learning needs."

Hanks, who along with seven others each received a $2,500 AASA scholarship, was also given $500 in travel money to attend the AASA's award ceremony and its 2010 National Conference on Education in Phoenix (AZ) Feb. 11-13. Although she noted she was excited about the ceremony, she said she was equally excited about getting the chance to co-present with her mentor, Watkins, at the conference.

"Dr. Watkins was very gracious to allow me to co-present 'Resources for New Superintendents,'" Hanks said. "She really knows how to mentor people. She's just a wonderful person, and I still can hardly believe that I was able to present at a national conference with her. It's very exciting," she added.

Along with Watkins and Hanks, faculty members from Western's educational leadership program who presented at the conference included Carol Webb, assistant professor; John Closen, assistant professor; and Vicki VanTuyle, instructor.

"It's always impressive to me when I see the names of Western's educational leadership program faculty members included in a variety of national-level conference brochures or conference materials. Many of them present at these conferences frequently, and many of them are also known nationally. I don't know if people really realize that," Hanks noted.

Hanks plans to make good use of her $2,500 scholarship award; she plans to pursue her doctorate in educational leadership (Ed.D.), a program that began at WIU in 2006. The first cohort of WIU doctoral degree students started with a class of 25 in August 2006, one year after the North Central Association Higher Education Commission, the accrediting agency for colleges and universities, approved Western's Ed.D. degree in educational leadership for elementary and secondary school administrators in the greater western Illinois region.

For more information about the AASA's $2,500 scholarships for graduate students, see "AASA Scholarships Awarded to Seven Top Graduate Students" at www.aasa.org/content.aspx?id=11556. For more information about Western's educational leadership department and program, see www.wiu.edu/edl/.

Posted By: Teresa Koltzenburg (WIUNews@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing