Two from U of M to be knighted by King of Spain- Faculty, staff member to be honored in Washington, D.C. ceremony Monday, Nov. 24 - Contacts: Mark Cassutt, University News Service, (612) 624-8038, cassutt@umn.edu Jennifer Schulz, Office of International Programs, (612) 624-0557, schul160@umn.edu |
University of Minnesota professor Carla Rahn Phillips and Learning Abroad Center director Holly Zimmerman-LeVoir will be knighted into Spain's Order of Isabella the Catholic in a special ceremony Monday, Nov. 24. The honor, which comes from Spain's King Don Juan Carlos I, will be bestowed upon the pair in a special ceremony by Spanish ambassador Jorge Dezcaller at his official residence in Washington, D.C. Phillips, a professor of history, has devoted her career to research and teaching about the history of Spain and its overseas connections. Her books have won several awards from scholarly organizations in the United States, and she was elected to the Royal Academy of History in Spain in 2005. She has also worked extensively with the university's Program for Cultural Cooperation, which collaborates with Spain's Ministry of Culture to provide funding for individuals and organizations whose work promotes a better understanding of Spanish history and culture in the United States. Zimmerman-LeVoir, program director in the Learning Abroad Center, is being knighted for her "outstanding contributions to the dissemination of Spanish Culture within The United States of America." LeVoir has worked for 25 years to develop and implement an international program in Toledo, Spain, as well as coordinate the Program for Cultural Cooperation between Spain's Ministry of Culture and American universities nationwide. In addition, she has worked extensively with the Ortega y Gasset Foundation in Toldeo, Spain, which promotes cross-cultural student and faculty exchanges. "I am thrilled and honored to be recognized in this way by the Spanish Govenment," said Zimmerman-LeVoir. "This award would not have been possible without the tremendous support I have received from my office, the Learning Abroad Center and from the university who have so strongly encouraged this work over the past 25 years." The "Cross of the Order Queen Isabella the Catholic," the official honor being conferred upon the U of M pair, is one of the highest civil honors granted by the Spanish Royal House. It can only be awarded by invitation of the King of Spain and is the only noble honor open to foreigners. ---------- |
