In Memory of Clifford Blizard, PhD (1970-2024)

Dr. Clifford Blizard served as the Honors Program Chair as well as the Scientific Reasoning Competency Chair in the Academic Engagement Center in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC). He was also Co-Chair of the Honors Program Advisory Board and a member of the UAGC Institutional Review Board. He held a doctorate in Environmental Science from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, a master’s degree in Geology from Colorado State University, a master’s degree in Instructional Design and Technology from Purdue Global, a bachelor’s degree in Geology from Carleton College, and an Elementary I Montessori teaching certification from the Institute for Advanced Montessori Studies. Dr. Blizard served as an educator for over two decades, working with students from age 3 through adults earning their PhDs. His experience in the environmental community service included serving on the board of Community Science Institute, Inc., a non-profit organization supporting volunteer water monitoring projects in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, as well as serving as board member and chair of the Town of Ithaca Conservation Board, an advisory group on environmental issues. He also served on the Parks Commission for the City of Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia, and volunteered for the Citizens Climate Lobby. His research interests included exploring ways to promote transformative learning experiences in the online classroom and Honors Program curriculum design. Dr. Blizard joined UAGC as an adjunct faculty member in 2013 and was appointed to a full-time position in 2016. 

Dr. Blizard was an enthusiastic lifelong learner who shared his love of discovering new things with his students. Dr. Blizard loved animals and was a caregiver to many, including frogs, turtles, and axolotls. His other interests included iPhone nature photography and reading the works of obscure nature writers from America and Great Britain active between 1850 and 1945.

Dr. Blizard was an active member of the first annual UAGC Culture of Care Summit in 2024, expressing the importance in care as the presence of “human heartedness”. In honor of his memory, the UAGC Culture of Care Council approved an annual Culture of Care Summit award, The Clifford Blizard Award for Passionate CARE and Creative Excellence. This award is voted on by the annual participants of the summit as they consider the sessions that best the ideologies of Dr. Blizard’s passion for others. The session chosen for this honor will 
 

• Foster a caring, supportive, and creative work environment with a focus on CARE.
• Display a passion for implementing human-heartedness in an organization.
• Implement creative solutions that address workplace challenges, especially those related to employee well-being, collaboration, and sustainability.
• Introduce innovative approaches to problem-solving that balance both environmental and human factors.
• Promote strategies that can develop creativity and critical thinking in the workplace.
• Advocate for empathy and mutual support among colleagues, students, and/or clients.
• Improve workplace wellness through applications to a healthy balance between work, school, and personal life.

Dr. Blizard was a light for those who knew him as he exemplified the foundational pillars of a Culture of Care.