Long-time CU Boulder School of Education leader, Sara McDonald has received the 2023 Robert Stearns Award, which honors faculty and staff for extraordinary achievement in teaching, service, work with students and/or research.
McDonald, who is Sr. Director of Operations, was honored at one of CU Boulder’s longest standing traditions, the 94th annual Alumni Awards Ceremony on Nov. 2.
McDonald is fond of saying she grew up in the School of Education after following in the footsteps of her mother, Patty McDonald, who built an unassailable reputation as a trusted administrator in her 32 years with the school. McDonald was first hired as a student employee, and she has lovingly served and progressively taken on leadership roles as an essential staff member for over 20 years.
As Sr. Director of Operations, she manages many important areas of the School of Education — from technology needs for individuals, offices and classrooms to events management for high-profile engagements such as research institutes and panels, multi-day conferences, Scholarship Ceremony, Commencement and everything in between. McDonald is also the building manager, which means she has overseen and implemented the school’s historic move to a new campus home in the newly renamed Miramontes Baca Education Building, and she continues to implement the multi-phase renovation project.
While McDonald wears many hats, her job description cannot adequately capture her most remarkable contributions to the university and School of Education — the labor of love and invisible labor that often make the biggest impact on our students, staff and faculty.
“Everyone in our school knows Sara McDonald. Everyone,” her award nomination reads. “Sara brings her whole heart to her work of supporting others. When individuals seek a safe space or a kind listener, they often turn to Sara. Her door is always open despite the many responsibilities she faces. It is not uncommon for graduate students to seek Sara’s advice instead of or in addition to their advisor’s guidance. She offers a different kind of mentorship, especially for students, faculty and staff of color. She’s a good listener, problem solver and fierce advocate for equity and justice. Combine those skills with her ability to take action and speak up for what is right, and Sara and her remarkable community impact seeps well beyond School of Education and campus boundaries.”
McDonald joins an impressive lineup of School of Education faculty and staff who have been awarded the Stearns honor over the years, including Dean Emerita Lorrie Shepard, Professors Emeritus Kathy Escamilla and Dan Liston, Charles Chair Professor Ruben Donato, and Graduate Program Coordinator Natalie Koster.
She cited her family and her "CU family" of friends and colleagues for loving, encouraging, supporting and lifting her up, and she is committed to doing the same for others.
"I plan to leave CU Boulder better than the way that I found it," she said in her acceptance speech. "I continue to choose to be the change that I wish to see in Boulder and our surrounding communities. The challenges that I faced when I was a student at CU still exist today, and I need to continue to be a voice for those who feel they don’t have a voice on campus. I need to continue to be a safe place for people to seek refuge or guidance. I need to continue to nurture, care for and raise up my CU family to be better than we thought we could be...
"I am humbled to receive this award. I hope we can all listen to and uplift one another as we continue building a university where everyone feels seen and supported."
Watch McDonald’s acceptance speech at the Alumni Awards (minute 59) here.
