The University of Florida has awarded Patricia Snyder with the rare honor of Distinguished Professor. Snyder, only the seventh College of Education professor to ever receive this distinction, is one of three named this year university-wide.

Holly Lane, associate professor and director of the School of Special Education, School Psychology and Early Childhood Studies, describes Snyder as, “one of the world’s most respected voices in the field early childhood studies. Her entire career has been truly distinguished, and the work she has led through founding and nurturing the growth of the Anita Zucker Center has firmly established UF as a leader in the field.”

The title of Distinguished Professor is reserved for professors that have had a significant impact on their discipline or field and is, according to UF guidelines and description of the award, “intended to recognize a sustained and exemplary record of accomplishment across all three domains of the UF mission, including scholarly activity, educational and outreach contributions, and service to both the University and the field in which the candidate works.”

“Dr. Snyder is internationally and nationally recognized for her leadership in transforming the field of early intervention and early childhood special education through innovative research,” stated Glenn Good, dean of the UF College of Education, “Her scholarship has played pivotal roles in illuminating interventions for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with or at risk for disabilities or those with social and behavioral challenges. She has clearly guided the early childhood profession.”

Patricia Snyder