James Alouf, professor of education, has been named the second recipient of the Cameron Fellowship at Sweet Briar College. President Elisabeth Muhlenfeld, in consultation with the personnel committee and Dean Jonathan Green, chose to honor Alouf for his valuable service to the College.

“I am very pleased that I am the second Cameron Fellow in the College’s history,” Alouf said. “What pleased me most, I think, was the fact that my nomination was decided by the personnel committee, an elected committee of my colleagues.

“To me, it is the highest compliment when one's peers recognize your efforts and I am deeply grateful for their recommendation. I am also grateful to Betsy and Jonathan for concurring with the recommendation!”

The fellowship is made possible by Flora Cameron Crichton ’46 of San Antonio, Texas, and includes an annual stipend of $2,500 until the recipient retires from Sweet Briar. Eligibility extends to full professors in rank for at least seven years who are involved in ongoing work of value to Sweet Briar, including research, innovative teaching or service, and other valuable endeavors.

James Alouf, recipent of Cameron Fellowship.
To become a Cameron candidate, eligible professors must submit their intent to the personnel committee with a cover letter explaining their work and its value to the College. Faculty members may also nominate fellow professors. The committee chooses four finalists and requests three letters of support from other faculty and further support documentation from nominees. The selected names go to the president, who consults with the College dean on the final nomination.

“I applied for the fellowship because I have spent twenty-three years at Sweet Briar and have worked steadfastly at developing a quality program for teacher preparation,” Alouf said. “I feel that the fellowship is recognition for the master’s programs and I am glad that the faculty and administration appreciate my efforts and the efforts of my colleagues in the education department.”

Alouf came to Sweet Briar in 1997. He served as education department chairman from 1998-2002 and from 2003 to present. While on sabbatical in 2002-2003, Alouf designed the Master of Arts in Teaching and Master of Education programs for Sweet Briar. Last year, the MAT program saw its first graduates, and on May 13, six M.Ed. candidates will be awarded degrees.

A native or Roanoke, Va., Alouf earned a bachelor’s degree in government and politics from King’s College in 1969. He received a master’s degree in political theory from Rutgers University in 1976 and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 1988 in social studies education with minors in public administration and foundations of education.