ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 29, 2007 - ProQuest CSA is pleased to announce that the Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools will join the graduate school organizations that co-sponsor the UMI Distinguished Dissertation and Thesis Awards. Established in 1981 by ProQuest CSA business unit UMI, these awards recognize dissertations and theses that make unusually significant and original contributions to their academic fields.

"The Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools seeks to promote the research mission of member institutions by encouraging maximum involvement in scholarly initiatives," said Dr. Maurice C. Taylor, president of the Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools and Dean, School of Graduate Studies, Morgan State University.  "The Distinguished Dissertation and Thesis Award represents significant and tangible recognition of ProQuest CSA's endorsement of Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools' mission. The award is the highlight of the annual conference for members as well as the award recipients."   

"The recipients of each of these awards are thoughtful, bright, passionate people who achieve excellence and inspire all of us," said Cathleen May, director of dissertations publishing for ProQuest CSA.  "Their contributions to society are proof of the value of graduate education-a value our company has supported through two decades of sponsored dissertation and thesis awards."

Presented annually, the awards are granted by prestigious graduate school organizations and funded by ProQuest CSA.  The company will demonstrate its commitment to serious researchers and higher education by funding more than $30,000 for these awards in 2007, partnering with the following esteemed participants:

• Canadian Association for Graduate Studies
• Council of Graduate Schools
• Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools
• Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools
• Western Association of Graduate Schools
• Conference of Southern Graduate Schools
• Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools
• American Society for Information Science & Technology
• University of Michigan Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies

Each graduate school organization manages its own dissertations award program. Nominations for the award are made by the graduate school organization's institutional members (all deans of graduate schools).  The nominations are then reviewed and winners chosen by the graduate school organization's advisory committee of expert scholars in the field. 

Nominees for the UMI Distinguished Dissertation and Thesis Awards must have written their dissertation or thesis and completed the requirements for their doctoral or masters degree program within the past two years.  The fields of competition for the awards include biological sciences, social sciences, mathematical and physical sciences, and humanities and fine arts. 

About ProQuest
ProQuest creates specialized information resources and technologies that propel successful research, discovery, and lifelong learning. A global leader in serving libraries of all types, ProQuest offers the expertise of such respected brands as Chadwyck-Healey™, UMI®, SIRS®, and eLibrary®. With Serials Solutions®, Ulrich's™, RefWorks®, COS™, Dialog® and now Bowker® part of the ProQuest brand family, the company supports the breadth of the information community with innovative discovery solutions that power the business of books and the best in research experience.

More than a content provider or aggregator, ProQuest is an information partner, creating indispensable research solutions that connect people and information. Through innovative, user-centered discovery technology, ProQuest offers billions of pages of global content that includes historical newspapers, dissertations, and uniquely relevant resources for researchers of any age and sophistication—including content not likely to be digitized by others. Inspired by its customers and their end users, ProQuest is working toward a future that blends information accessibility with community to further enhance learning and encourage lifelong enrichment.

For more information, visit www.proquest.com or the ProQuest parent company website, www.cig.com.