Thomas Jefferson Award Winners

David Braddock, Ph.D. Terry Schwartz, Ph.D.

Congratulations to David Braddock, Ph.D., and Terry Schwartz, Ph.D., the 2011 recipients of the University of Colorado's Thomas Jefferson award, one of the university's highest honors. This annual award recognizes those who advance the humanistic ideals of Jefferson, have a strong concern for the advancement of higher education, demonstrate a deep sense of civic responsibility and show a commitment to the rights and welfare of the individual.

Braddock, who holds the Coleman-Turner Endowed Chair in Cognitive Disability as a professor of psychiatry at the CU School of Medicine at the Anschutz Medical Campus, has been with the university since 2001. He also has been executive director of CU's Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities since its inception. Its mission is to use advances in science, engineering and technology to improve the quality of life and independent living for people with cognitive disabilities. Recognized as a national leader in the disabilities community, Braddock's previous tenure was at the University of Illinois at Chicago as professor of Human Development, Public Health and Bioengineering. He also sits on the executive committee of the International Board of the Special Olympics.

As associate dean of the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Schwartz continues to serve her students in the classroom as an associate research professor at UCCS while also undertaking administrative duties. She led the expansion of the school from one that offers only graduate programs to the addition of an undergraduate program in criminal justice. The result is UCCS's new School of Public Affairs.

Her passion for public affairs is evident in the annual community events she sponsors, her prolific writing efforts and her encouragement for students to work with nonprofits as part of their coursework. She practices what she preaches through her involvement in a variety of endeavors in the Colorado Springs community, including serving on the boards of the Community Prep Charter School (serving youth who have not been successful in traditional settings) and Pikes Peak Hospice and Palliative Care. She is also a weekly contributor at a local soup kitchen. Schwartz has a particular affinity for working with groups that focus on issues facing children and adolescents, including the Alliance for Kids and the Assets for Youth Steering committee.

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