Barbara Tsakirgis, chair of the Department of Classical Studies, was surprised in the middle of a class with the presentation of the Vanderbilt University Alumni Association Alumni Education Award.
The Alumni Education Award is given annually to a full-time Vanderbilt faculty member who has contributed substantially to Vanderbilt Alumni Association education programs. First given in 1982, this award is decided upon by the Vanderbilt University Alumni Association Board of Directors. It consists of a cash prize of $2,500 and an engraved bowl.
Tsakirgis received the award April 5. She was a two-term member of the Governing Board of the Archaeological Institute of America, an international organization of archaeologists, and is also the secretary/treasurer of the Nashville Society of the AIA as well as a national lecturer for the AIA. She is a member of the board of the Conservancy for the Parthenon and Centennial Park, a non-profit group that supports and funds the programming and education at the Nashville Parthenon.