2016 Distinguished Alumni Award: David Fetterman

Recognized as one of the leading scholars in American education, Dr. Fetterman is author to 16 books and hundreds of articles and chapters on the subject. The recommendations from his book, Excellence and Equality, led the U.S. Department of Education to formulate a panel to select a national center for the gifted and talented. As an appointed member, Dr. Fetterman recommended the University of Connecticut to the panel, granting the University a $10 million federal award for the National Research Center for the Gifted and Talented, now directed by Dr. Joseph Renzulli. Dr. Fetterman’s fields of expertise include evaluation, medical and teacher education, dropout programs, gifted and talented education, higher education, and distance learning. His empowerment evaluation method (a self-help approach) makes great contribution to the theory and practice of education–and according to the American Evaluation Association, remains “one of the greatest evaluation innovations of the past two decades.”