At this year's certificate awarding ceremony on Commencement Day, two prizes--the Katie Y. F. Yang Prize and the Derek Bok Public Service Prize--were presented to students in the Certificate of Special Studies in Administration and Management (CSS) Program, and two distinguished Harvard faculty members in the CSS program received the JoAnne Fussa Distinguished Teaching Award and the Exemplary Service Award in honor of their outstanding contributions in the areas of teaching and service.

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Dean Raymond Comeau awarded the Katie Y. F. Yang Prize to Julio Eberle, CSS '96, (left).

Established in honor of a 1990 graduate of the CSS program, the Katie Y. F. Yang Prize is awarded annually to the international graduate demonstrating initiative, character, and outstanding academic achievement. Julio Eberle, CSS '96, this year's recipient, earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil. He took a one-year academic leave of absence from his position as the Industrial Director of his family's manufacturing business to complete the CSS program.

Talbert Earl Lauter, CSS '96, received this year's Derek Bok Public Service Prize, which honors the commitment of former Harvard President Derek Bok to adult continuing education and to effective advocacy of community service activities. The prize is awarded annually to certificate recipients, who, while pursuing academic studies and professional careers, also give generously of their time and skill to improve the quality of life for others.

Lauter was awarded the prize based on his extensive volunteer work with the Boy Scouts of America, the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, and South Shore Hospital. In addition, he has served in several positions at St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in Hingham and has been his company's contact person in United Way campaigns. Recently, Lauter was instrumental in opening an Emergency Worker Assistance Center at the Armstrong World Industries plant in Braintree, which will be closing soon. The Center will assist current plant employees with job counseling and training in re-employment skills. Lauter has a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from the University of Florida at Gainesville and a Master of Science in engineering management from Northeastern University.

David Kuechle, Professor of Education, Emeritus, Harvard Graduate School of Education, received the JoAnne Fussa Distinguished Teaching Award, which recognizes exceptional teachers in the CSS program. The award was established by JoAnne Fussa, CSS '85, who presented the award.

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JoAnne Fussa presented David Kuechle, Professor of Education, Emeritus, with the JoAnne Fussa Distinguished Teaching Award.

Professor Kuechle, a specialist on labor and human resource management, negotiation, mediation, and arbitration, holds MBA and DBA degrees from Harvard Business School and a JD degree from the University of Wisconsin. He has served on the faculty of Harvard's Graduate School of Education, Business School, John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the Extension School, where he taught his course, Managing Negotiations, to large and enthusiastic classes in 1993 and 1995. The depth of student satisfaction with the course was revealed in the written comments on student evaluations: "I looked forward to each class and to the drama Professor Kuechle was able to impart while dealing with sensitive business, cultural, and personal issues"; "Dr. Kuechle has a magical way of listening and absorbing the class in the movement of discussion"; "Professor Kuechle gives the best feedback I have ever received"; and "This class is effective, timely, and organized."

These comments correspond to Professor Kuechle's own thoughts on teaching. "I try to encourage creative thought and wonder, and openness to the opinions of others. I respect my students, and I treat them like thinking, feeling human beings," he said.

"Reading Professor Kuechle's student comments and listening to him speak about teaching," stated Dr. Raymond Comeau, Assistant Dean of University Extension and Director of the CSS program, "is like reading an encyclopedia containing the secrets of excellent teaching; he is truly a master of his craft."

Arthur N. Turner, Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus, Harvard Business School, received the Exemplary Service Award, in recognition of outstanding service to the CSS program. This year marked only the second presentation of this award. Last year, Joseph Auerbach, Class of 1957 Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus, Harvard Business School, received the first Exemplary Service Award.

An expert in organizational behavior and the consulting process and a seasoned national and international consultant, Professor Turner taught at Harvard Business School from 1959 until his retirement in 1984. His popular Harvard Business School course, Consulting and Management Practice, which emphasized teamwork, may be viewed as an important precursor of Harvard Business School's new curriculum.

Professor Turner has been a loyal friend of the CSS program since 1983, when he agreed to become a member of the CSS Advisory Council, a group of 15 senior managers and academics who met periodically to offer guidance in program development to the then three-year-old program. He was a valuable member of the Council until its mandate expired in 1989.

In 1992 Professor Turner again agreed to serve the CSS program, this time as the instructor of the course Organizational Behavior, which he has taught yearly since then. The course is so popular that it regularly reaches its enrollment limit well before the beginning of classes. "Professor Turner has the unique ability to draw out discussion, stimulate independent thinking, and otherwise enhance the learning process," one student commented on a student evaluation. Another wrote, "This was simply the best course I have ever taken. Congratulations to Harvard Extension School for having him!"

"Professor Turner is a true friend of the CSS program," stated Dean Comeau. "It is comforting to know that we can call on his academic expertise when the program needs it."

"I am honored and touched to be the recipient of this year's Exemplary Service Award," said Turner. "I have thoroughly enjoyed my participation in Harvard Extension School."