James L. Fisher Award for Distinguished Service to Education

Congratulations to the 2020 James L. Fisher Award for Distinguished Service to Education award winner: Dr. Violet Patton.

The James L. Fisher Award for Distinguished Service to Education celebrates individuals, organizations, foundations, corporations or publications for their extraordinary impact on education nationally or globally, beyond service to a single institution or state. Presented for more than 60 years, the award was renamed in 1986 in honor of CASE’s second president.

Nominations for this award are reviewed by members of the CASE Board of Trustees, which ultimately selects the winner.

Individuals, groups or organizations who meet these criteria are eligible for nomination:

  • Made an exceptional impact on education nationally or globally, through service, philanthropy and/or advocacy.
  • Demonstrated an ongoing commitment to advancing education.

The person submitting the nomination must be from a CASE member institution or Educational Partner.

Due to the global pandemic, nominations for this award are currently on hold. Thank you for your patience.

All nomination information and materials are submitted online by someone at a CASE member institution or Educational Partner.

The nominator also will be asked to upload four documents:

  1. A letter of nomination that: 
    • Describes the length, type and variety of service that the nominee has given to education, and its resulting impact.
    • Articulates what sets this nominee apart from others who have worked to advance education nationally or globally.
  2. Nominee's professional or related vita, short bio or organizational overview (or links to the information online).
  3. Two supporting letters (not from the nominator) on organizational or institutional letterhead endorsing the nomination.

Guidance for letters:

  • Please reference the name of the award, and limit the letter to not more than two pages.
  • Letters can be addressed to the CASE Board of Trustees Awards Subcommittee, Washington, DC. 
  • Documents can be in PDF or Word format.
  • Please do not mail any materials directly to CASE.

2020 Dr. Violet Patton
2019 Anita Zucker
2018 Frederick Ruiz
2017 T. Denny Sanford
2016 The Atlantic Philanthropies
2015 The Stamps Family Charitable Foundation
2014 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
2013 Gordon and Betty Moore
2012 David Rubenstein
2011 No award given
2010 The Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation
2009 ARCS Foundation Inc.
2008 Vartan Gregorian
2007 Bernard and Barbro Osher; Eugene Tempel
2006 Claudio X. González Guajardo
2005 Landrum Bolling
2004 David H. Ponitz
2003 George Keller
2002 Thomas W. Lambeth
2001 KPMG Foundation; Bernard J. Milano
2000 John Merrow; Women's Philanthropy Institute
1999 The Lilly Endowment
1998 Gov. Zell Miller
1997 I. King Jordan
1996 William C. Friday
1995 Adele Coryell Hall; Sandy Auld Mactaggart; W.M. Keck Foundation
1994 The United Negro College Fund
1993 The League for Innovation in the Community College
1992 Fred W. Friendly
1991 The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation
1990 Steven Muller
1989 Jaime Escalante; Editorial Projects in Education
1988 Eugene Lang
1987 Clairborne deBorda Pell
1986 James Lee Fisher
1985 Howard R. Bowen
1984 Robert L. Payton
1983 Edward C. Merrill; The American University of Beirut
1982 Thomas H.B. Symons
1981 Governing Boards of CASE Institutions
1980 Jerome H. Holland
1979 Ernest Boyer
1978 Clark Kerr
1977 Gov. Jerry Opodaca
1976 Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh
1975 Dewint C. Reddick
1974 Asa S. Knowles
1973 W.K. Kellog Foundation
1972 Frederick D. Patterson
1971 Chronicle of Higher Education
1970 John Holt Myers; Conrad Teitell
1969 Wayne Morse
1968 James F. Oates Jr.
1967 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
1966 Herman B Wells
1965 The Saturday Review
1964 Edith Green
1963 John M. Stainaker
1962 Sebastion S. Kresge; Colgate W. Darden Jr.
1961 Frank H. Sparks; The Des Moines Register and Tribune
1960 Terry Ferrer
1959 John W. Gardner; W. Homer Turner
1958 Advertising Council; Financial Aid to Education; Devereaux D. Josephs
1957 Joint Council of Educational Television
1956 Arthur S. Adams; The Ford Foundation
1955 Council for Financial Aid to Education
1954 Columbia University; J. William Fulbright
1953 Frank W. Abrams; The Fund for Adult Education
1952 Fred M. Hechinger
1951 No award
1950 No award
1949 George F. Zook
1948 Boyd H. McKeown; Lowell Institute
1947 William G. Avirett
1946 Howard W. Blakeslee
1945 No award
1944 School and Society
1943 Benjamin Fine
1942 Watson Davis
1941 The New York Times