College Dean Edward L. Ayers was selected to receive the 53rd annual Thomas Jefferson Award, the University's highest honor, during Fall Convocation Friday, Oct. 20.
Ayers is the dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the Hugh P. Kelly Professor of History at the University.
Each year since 1955, the Thomas Jefferson Award is given to a member of the University community who has exemplified in character, work and influence -- the principles and ideals of Jefferson.
To receive the award is a "reflection of dedication and service, a capstone achievement," University spokesperson Carol Wood said.
History Department Chair Duane Osheim said he has known Ayers since the beginning of his time at the University in 1980 and recognizes Ayer's abilities as a professor and researcher.
"He both understands his field very well and has a great feel for his students and is an exceptionally creative researcher and writer," Osheim said.
According to Osheim, Ayers has a particular vision for liberal arts and conveys this vision very well.
"I think he won [the Jefferson Award] because everything he's done here, he's done it with distinction," Osheim said. "Everyone who knows him likes him and is very pleased his contributions are being recognized."
Anyone in the University community can submit nominations for the prestigious award. Generally a dozen faculty and staff members are nominated each year. The Thomas Jefferson Award Committee, which consists of 10 faculty and staff members and three student members, reviews materials that justify the merits and worthiness of the candidates.
English Prof. Jahan Ramazani, the chair of the Thomas Jefferson Award Committee for this year, noted Ayers's strong qualifications.
"I think that what made him stand out was his incredible combination of stellar work in multiple areas," Ramazani said. "He's clearly a first-rate teacher ... [and] a leading historian in the American 19th Century South."
Ramazani cited Ayers's embracement of the Jeffersonian spirit of educating the citizenry through his digital media project, "The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War," which made Ayers's research available to the public through the Internet.
Ayers said he felt a sense of gratitude for the award and for the chance to have been at the University for a quarter of a century.
"U. Va. taught me what it means to be in an academic community," Ayers said. "I've tried to live up to the standards of people who were here before me have established."
--Steve Austin contributed to this article
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