Tim Shuckerow, director of Case Western Reserve University's art education and art studio program and director of teacher licensure at the University, won the Ohio Art Education AssociationÕs 2002 Higher Education Division Educator of the Year Award.

He received the award when 700 art educators from Ohio meet in Dayton for OAEA's annual convention.

Shuckerow, a resident of Cleveland Heights, won the honor for his dedication to his profession at the regional and state level and for his work as an exemplary educator, according to Lynda Berman, OAEA awards chairperson.

The awardee recently directed and facilitated the renovation of the old Greenhouse Restaurant into CWRU's new art education/art studio facilities. He also worked with CWRU's office of development to raise $75,000 to renovate the ceramic art facility at Squire Valleevue Farm for summer art workshops that are open for community enrollment.

He has also been active in community mural projects as an artist, and some of his most visible works are the Mayfield Road murals in Cleveland's Little Italy.

As an art educator, Shuckerow is a trained mentor to assist new art teachers in the classroom and also is a trained assessor, who evaluates the credentials of first-year art teachers in the classroom for the Ohio Department of Education.

Shuckerow also has taken leadership roles by working on state-level committees through the Ohio Department of Education. He recently has served three-year terms as the higher education divisional chair of the OAEA and served on the State Teachers Retirement System Visual Arts Advisory Board that judges the annual members and collegiate show. His efforts have resulted in an increase of student participation from three students and two schools to more than 60 entries from 26 students in eight schools. He currently is the OAEA's northeast regional director, representing over 500 art teachers.

Shuckerow earned his bachelor's degree in fine art at the Cleveland Institute of Art and his master's degree in art from CWRU.