The Puget Sound Association of Phi Beta Kappa has named Bellevue College President Jean Floten to receive a 2010 Pathfinder Award.
The award, to be presented at the chapter’s May 18 Spring Luncheon, honors Floten for making education more accessible by bringing baccalaureate degrees to Bellevue College.
Known nationally for its innovative programs, Bellevue College offers two baccalaureate degrees: a Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Radiation and Imaging Sciences, launched in 2007, and a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Interior Design launched in January of this year.
Bellevue College was awarded accreditation as a bachelor degree-conferring institution earlier this year by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, which sets standards for all four-year institutions in Washington and nearby states.
Floten joined Bellevue College as president in 1989. Since then, the college has grown to become the third largest educational institution in Washington state, serving approximately 35,000 students annually.
The college was listed by Yahoo Finance in March as one of “15 Fantastic Higher Education Values” nationally.
A series of national, regional and local awards have recognized Floten’s contributions to higher education, most recently including an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree, conferred by City University; the Shirley B. Gordon Presidential Award of Distinction, from Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society; and the John L. Blackburn Award for Exemplary Models of Administrative Leadership, from the American Association of University Administrators.
Floten serves on the Educational Testing Service national advisory board, the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Key Bank Advisory Board.
She earned Master of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Portland State University.
Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most widely known academic honor society, encourages and supports academic excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. Its Pathfinder Award honors people “who encourage others to seek new worlds to discover, pathways to explore, and untouched destinations to reach.”