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Each
year the INDEPENDENT UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
at LOWELL presents awards in order to acknowledge
the contributions made by its alumni. Nominees
for these awards are individuals who 1) are graduates
of the University of Massachusetts Lowell or one
of its predecessors; 2) have made a significant
contribution or achievement in their field of
knowledge or endeavor or whose service to the
Association and/or the University or its predecessor
over the years has been outstanding and worthy
of recognition; 3) are noted for their exemplary
service to the public.
Click here for the application.
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Distinguished Alumni Award, 2009
Founded in October 1947, the Alumni Association is celebrating its 62nd anniversary. Since 1978, the Alumni Association has annually recognized an alumnus/a, who is worthy of receiving recognition for an inspirational career, for contribution to the community at large and to the reputation of the Alumni generally. This year the Independent University Alumni Association takes great pleasure in presenting our thirty-third Distinguished Alumni Award to Dr. Jeanne Whitten.
Dr. Whitten grew up during the post World War II era, in a working class neighborhood in the city of Cambridge, MA. Her immigrant grandparents, aunts and cousins also lived in this neighborhood making it a virtual family village.
She is a product of an urban school system and at graduation from high school she was the recipient of a full scholarship to Boston College, but opted instead for Salem State College.
Her undergraduate college years coincided with the Viet Nam War era, a war with which she very much disagreed and which claimed the lives of friends and neighbors. The Kent State massacre occurred and like her Ohio contemporaries, she was part of a generally defiant generation. After graduation she found her way to Woodstock, in 1969, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, much to the shock of her parents who learned of this adventure many, many years later.
As an education major at Salem State College, she focused on a career in teaching. After graduation in 1972, she backpacked through Europe and developed an appreciation of and respect for other cultures. On her return, she realized a career goal and became a teacher in the Cambridge Public School System. While teaching there, she enrolled in a Master’s Program at Boston State College and received an M. Ed in Special Education in 1977. In addition to her work in the Cambridge Schools, she had the opportunity to do consulting work for other school systems in various parts of the country as a trainer for the Network of Innovative Schools. This was the beginning of a new pathway, realizing that she could inspire other teachers she began to consider a career shift from teaching into administration. In the late 70’s, she became adjunct professor at the graduate school of Education at Lesley College. While at Lesley she completed an advanced degree in technology in education, took a half year sabbatical leave and concentrated on teaching pre-service teachers. The art and craft of teaching became a passion and it is still a passion that she holds on to, today.
In 1987, she became principal of the J.G.Pyne School in Lowell, Massachusetts. School administration became a calling and propelled her to embark on the quest for a Doctorate of Education at the University of Lowell.
She accepted an even more challenging position at a larger school in Watertown, Massachusetts – the Hosmer School. She used the technology superhighway, to which she had been introduced at Lesley, to motivate this group. She responded to a large, national Request For Proposal, asking for interested schools to join with a local museum, for the express purpose of creating a virtual museum through which students could research and learn. The Hosmer School, paired with the Boston Museum of Science, was selected. This award put the Hosmer School on the national map and provided the students and faculty with extraordinary professional development and enriching experiences. The value of this grant surpassed one million dollars.
While at Watertown, she earned a Doctorate of Education from Lowell. Shortly thereafter, she was named Assistant Superintendent of the Lincoln Public School System. She successfully wrote and implemented a seven million dollar RFP. Subsequent to the Lincoln experience, she joined the Melrose School System. Interestingly, in both Lincoln and Melrose, she found herself quickly moved into the position of Interim Superintendent of Schools. In 2006, she accepted the Superintendent of Schools position for the Methuen Public schools, a position that she holds today.
Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients
- Edson D. Castro '60 - 1978
- Madeline Phillips Merritt '40 - 1978
- Stella M. Mazur '35 - 1979
- Joseph P. Flannery '53 - 1980
- Arnold J. Lovering '61 - 1981
- Walter Dawson '59 - 1982
- Barry M. Burbank '72 - 1984
- Paul J. Sheehy '58 - 1985
- Ernest P. James '42 - 1986
- Roger M. Boisjoly '60 - 1987
- George A. Perrone '64 -1988
- Mary A. Hallaren '27 - 1989
- Ludwig Rebenfeld '51 - 1990
- David Pernick '41 -1991
- Cahrles J. Hoff '66 - 1992
- Martin T. Meehan '78 - 1993
- Roy J. Zuckerberg '58 -1994
- John T. O'Donnell 52' - 1995
- Henry J. Powell '55 - 1996
- Mary E. McGauvran 39' - 1997
- Clementine F. Alexis 56' - 1998
- Richard R. Lessard '66 - 1999
- Thomas Vaughn 77' - 2000
- Albert B. Harvey '60 - 2001
- Alice Kiernan '42 - 2002
- Frederick O'bear '56-2003
- Frank M. Spinola '66 - 2004
- Michael T. McCaffrey '73 - 2005
- Donald A. McQuarrie '58 - 2006
- Carole Harper McQuarrie '59 - 2006
- Robert S. Smith '61 - 2007
- James L. Swartz '65 - 2008
- Jeanne C. Whitten '97 - 2009
Past Distinguished Alumni Announcements
2009 - Dr. Jeanne Whitten
2008 - Dr. James L. Swartz
2007 - Dr. Robert S. Smith
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