Joyce Many, College of Education associate dean for academic programs, was named the 2012 recipient of the Alumni Distinguished Professor Award, given annually by Georgia State University's Center for Instructional Innovation.   

The award honors a GSU faculty member who exemplifies the balance between being a teacher and a scholar.

"Throughout my career, I have been passionate about both of these aspects," Many said. "To be honored in this way validates the way I have shaped my professional life and what I have tried to accomplish."

Many joined the language and literacy education faculty at GSU in 1994, and served as chair of the Department of Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology (MSIT) before becoming an associate dean. Prior to her time at Georgia State, she served as an assistant professor at Texas A&M University and a research scholar at Northern University in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Many has published more than 60 journal articles and authored and contributed to multiple books on reading and literacy education, including "Reader Stance and Literacy Understanding" and the "Handbook of Instructional Practices for Literacy Teacher Educators." She served as center director for the University System of Georgia Reading Consortium for 10 years and has received multiple awards for her work, including the National Reading Conference Early Career Achievement Award and the COE's Faculty Research Award.  

To read more about Many's award and her work in the COE, click here.