Dick Kuettner Honored with the Helen Warriner-Burke FLAVA Distinguished Service Award

By Brian Laubscher
November 11, 2024

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) honored Dick Kuettner, director of the Global Discovery Laboratories and adjunct professor of romance languages and teacher education at Washington and Lee University, with the Foreign Language Association of Virginia's (FLAVA) 2024 Helen Warriner-Burke FLAVA Distinguished Service Award.

Kuettner received his award, one of the highest honors bestowed by FLAVA, at the Virginia Board of Education meeting on Oct. 24 in Richmond, Virginia. The award recognizes individuals who have significantly contributed to world languages over their careers. The award highlights a lifetime of dedication to language education, advocacy and service within the language teaching community.

In recognizing Kuettner with the award, Kelly Arble, FLAVA recognition and awards committee chair, stated that Kuettner "embodies the spirit of the Helen Warriner-Burke Distinguished Service Award. His dedication to language education, mentorship and innovative programs has left an indelible mark on our community."

"Of course, I feel extremely grateful for receiving the Helen Warriner-Burke award, but, as it may be a tribute to my work, one has to realize that I did not achieve this on my own," said Kuettner. "Colleagues here and elsewhere, my industrious student workers and the university, with its never-questioning support, have helped provide the momentum to accomplish what we have over the years. Working together is what has made this happen, with a little assistance from above."

Kuettner has been active with many professional organizations over the years, helping to shape foreign language education in the state and beyond. He has twice served as FLAVA president and was chair of the organization's professional development and advocacy committees. Additionally, he is on the board of directors for the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations (NFMLTA), is a member of the advisory council to the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (NECTFL) and is a delegate to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), among others.

Kuettner helped shape professional development for language teachers across the Commonwealth of Virginia and the mid-Atlantic region by developing the Foreign Language Teachers Workshop Series (FLTWS), which was incorporated into the ever-growing FLAVA professional development and teacher education workshop series. He also arranged and hosted the FLAVA spring conference at W&L for many years and has served as the host site coordinator for the Virginia Governor's World Language Academies (VGWLA) under four separate DOE grants beginning in 2011, bringing 165 French, German and Spanish students and 40 international staff to the W&L campus for a three-week immersive language experience.

Kuettner also played an instrumental role in creating the Languages for Rockbridge program, which allows students in nearby elementary and middle schools to enroll in not-for-credit language classes taught by trained student volunteers from the university. Since its inception in 2010, Languages for Rockbridge has been a community-centered enrichment program that has allowed W&L student volunteers to guide hundreds of children in their exploration of foreign languages and cultures.

Kuettner is in his 36th year at W&L. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in French and German from Hardin-Simmons University and a Master of Arts and the Doctor of Modern Languages (DML) from Middlebury College.

If you know a W&L faculty member who has done great, accolade-worthy things, tell us about them! Nominate them for an accolade.