Chancellor Announces Public Service Awardee

The winner of the 2007 Chancellor’s Distinguished Public Service Award, which honors faculty for outstanding contributions to the community, is Katherine D. Seelman, professor and associate dean of disability programs in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. She will receive a $2,000 cash prize and a $3,000 grant to support her teaching.

Seelman was recognized for national, state, and local service on behalf of people with disabilities.

She serves on a number of influential boards and committees, such as the U.S. International Council on Disabilities, the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy, and the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America, and on the editorial board of the World Health Organization’s World Report on Disability and Rehabilitation.

“Your commitment is also reflected in your scholarly record and, most especially, in your greatly valued teaching within the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences,” the chancellor wrote.

Seelman was appointed to the Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Advisory Council in 2004, and she chairs the City-County Task Force on Disabilities. In 2002, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette included her in its “People Who Made a Difference” list.

“Your supporters for this award note your ability to bring people together to focus on problems of common interest, your incorporation of policy and advocacy into all of your classes, and as one who serves as the principal ‘bridge’ for the University to the greater community on issues of relevance to people with disabilities,” Nordenberg wrote.