The Rotary Club of Christiansburg-Blacksburg presented its 2019 Citizen of the Year Award to Dr. Jerome “Jerry” Niles at their meeting on April 8.
John Hillison, honoree Jerry Niles’ wife Ruth Anne, and Rotarians Doug McAlister, Buddy Russell, and Brandon Cross congratulate Jerry Niles on his receipt of the 2019 Citizen of the Year Award from the Christiansburg-Blacksburg Rotary Club.
This award is “to honor an individual whose voluntary acts and services have made the Christiansburg-Blacksburg area a better place in which to live,” said Dr. Doug McAlister, chairperson of the club’s award committee.
Dr. Niles serves as the president of the Blacksburg Chapter of the AARP, and serves on the boards of several other local non-profits, but is best known for founding the Lifelong Learning Institute at Virginia Tech. Accepting the Rotary Club’s award, Dr. Niles said “Building something for community adds meaning to your life.”
Dr. Niles has been a member of the Virginia Tech community since 1974. He served as the founding dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, directing the restructuring of the new college and defining a new vision for the arts, humanities, social sciences, human sciences, and education at the university.
Niles also served as the interim dean of the former College of Human Sciences and Education, the associate dean for innovation, graduate studies, and research, and as chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning.
As a faculty member in the Division of Curriculum and Instruction, Niles provided leadership as an innovative teacher in developmental reading and assessment, and received numerous awards for his work.
After Dr. Niles retired from Virginia Tech, he sought to continue his love of education by creating the Lifelong Learning Institute at Virginia Tech, a member-driven, volunteer organization that draws on the wealth of academic and community resources in the New River Valley to provide courses and special events that cover current issues, local history and culture, science, health, living well, personal growth, music, art and literature, technology and much more.
During the presentation of the Rotary Citizen of the Year award, Dr. Niles said “You cannot give somebody an award for doing something that is so much fun!” He describes LLI as “No tests, no papers, no grades. Just great opportunities to connect with others in a shared learning experience and good discussion. It doesn’t get any better than this for the instructor or the student.”
The Citizen of the Year Award is just one of many examples of the Rotary Club of Christiansburg-Blacksburg’s motto: “Service Above Self.” Visit us on Facebook at RotaryClubOfChristiansburgBlacksburg for more information.
Submitted by the Rotary Club of Christiansburg-Blacksburg