EUGENE, Ore.— Robert Ackerman, Lane Community College Board of Education member, was presented with the 2013 Howard Cherry Award for Outstanding Community College Board Member by the Oregon Community College Association at its annual conference. The award is the association's highest honor.
Ackerman was cited for significant contributions to community colleges both as a board member and as a state legislator. He is known as a clear, consistent and tireless voice for the college, an advocate for affordable education, and as a strong leader in times of fiscal challenge.
He is in his fifth term on the Lane board. He was first elected in 1965 at age 28, less than a year after the college was founded in 1964. He was re-elected in 1969, 1999, 2007, and 2011. His career of service to Lane and the community college mission spans nearly 50 years.
He served in the Oregon House of Representatives for three terms, in 2001, 2003 and 2005, and fought against state funding cuts, promoted the educational, social and economic value of community colleges, and brought legislative insight to the Lane Community College board table.
In 2006, the Oregon Student Association presented Ackerman with the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his commitment to students by fighting for access and affordability, both as a board member and as a state representative.
A retired attorney, Ackerman is a well known civil rights activist. In 2013, he was honored by the NAACP of Lane County at its annual Freedom Fund dinner. In 2002, he was presented with the Pearl Hill Unity Award for Outstanding Service and Commitment to Cultural Diversity and Civil Rights in Lane County.
Howard Cherry Awards are presented to an outstanding community college advocate, administrator, and board member. Cherry was a founding member of the Portland Community College board and the Association of Community College Trustees, served in the Oregon Legislature from 1971 to 1982, and was a trustee of the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges.
Lane Community College offers affordable, quality, lifelong educational opportunities in career technical training; college transfer programs; employee skill upgrading; business development; foundational academic, language and life skills; personal development; and cultural and community services. Lane is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Visit online at www.lanecc.edu or www.twitter.com/lanenews or www.facebook.com/lanecommunitycollege