The President's Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence in Community Service

Professor Roxanne Henkin received the President's Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence in Community Service.

A professor of literacy education in the Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching, Henkin's service reaches beyond the local community to national and international audiences.

Responding to San Antonio's need for teachers who can offer children the best literacy instruction possible, Henkin established The San Antonio Writing Project (SAWP) as a local, nonprofit organization. SAWP provides literacy training to selected teachers who attend a summer institute and receive ongoing professional development throughout the school year.

SAWP has also hosted annual conferences, sponsored summer writing camps on San Antonio's West Side and developed the Cuentos Project, in which schools encourage students to interview their families and write their stories or "cuentos."

Henkin also extended the reach of the SAWP and her extensive knowledge about teaching literacy to South Africa, partnering with the University of Limpopo for ongoing training. She spends time each in local elementary schools where she has established professional development sites and where she observes UTSA students working toward their teacher certification.

Henkin also links her literacy expertise with service to the religious community, conducting training for literacy volunteers who work in local school districts and taking UTSA students to the San Antonio Holocaust Museum. Finally, Henkin has a long and active presence in the National Council of Teachers of English, a national literacy organization.

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Story by Lynn Gosnell
Photo by Mark McClendon