College of Education Honors Two Alumni

A UC faculty member who coordinates the professional experience program for future teachers is one of the recipients of the College of Education's Distinguished Alumni Award for 2001. The other is a UC alumnus who has played a leading role in addressing the issues affecting children in Cincinnati's urban schools.

Nancy Hamant is coordinator of professional experiences for the nationally recognized Cincinnati Initiative for Teacher Education (CITE), which provides a yearlong teaching internship for students in the partner public schools. The associate professor earned her bachelor's degree in education, master's degree in educational foundations and doctorate in educational foundations from the University of Cincinnati.

Hamant joined the faculty for the College of Education in 1964. Outside of UC, she has worked with the North Central Association on accreditation reviews of schools locally as well as internationally. In addition to her service at the College of Education, Hamant is UC faculty athletics representative to the NCAA and is an active member of the Herman Schneider Legacy Society, UCATS, C-Club, Order of the Black Blazer, Alumni Association Board of Governors and chair of the UC Foundation Board faculty advisory committee.

The College of Education's other Distinguished Alumni Award recipient is John Bryant. He earned a bachelor's degree in business education, a master's degree in secondary education, and his doctoral degree in educational foundations from the University of Cincinnati. Bryant's name is well known through the Cincinnati education community, teaching for eight years at Withrow High School, serving as professor of education and chairman of the education department at Wilmington College (1971-1990), and working as an instructor in the UC College of Education and as an assistant basketball coach from 1968-1971.

Bryant was executive director of the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative for 11 years and currently serves on the executive committee. The collaborative of business leaders, educators, government officials and community leaders works to help Cincinnati's urban youth achieve academic success. He is also a member of the OhioReads Council, appointed to oversee Governor Bob Taft's initiative to improve the reading skills of Ohio's elementary schoolchildren.