Deborah Smith-Shank, chair of the Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy, has been awarded the Maryl Fletcher DeJong Award from the National Art Education Association's Women's Caucus. The award will be presented at the association's national conference in March.

The award, initiated in 2009, is given annually to honor an individual in the field of art education who has made noteworthy service contributions to art education as an advocate of equity for women and all people who encounter injustice.

"I am humbled to receive the Maryl Fletcher DeJong Award, named for a woman who was my mentor and a dear friend to me and to thousands of other people," said Smith-Shank. "Her home was in Cincinnati but her work in and through art was felt throughout the world. Her heart was as big as the universe and her activism for social justice was as wide. To be selected for the award named for Maryl is one of the greatest honors I could receive."