Professional News

UK's Ralph Crystal Receives Rehabilitation Education’s Highest Honor

Ralph Crystal with student with laptop at desk
Ralph Crystal meeting with a counselor education student.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 12, 2020) — The National Council on Rehabilitation Education has selected Ralph M. Crystal for the 2020 Distinguished Career in Rehabilitation Education Award. Crystal's award will be presented during the council’s spring conference in San Diego, California. It is the highest honor an educator can attain in the field of rehabilitation education.

“I am honored that the National Council on Rehabilitation Education selected me to receive this award,” Crystal said. “I am thankful to my colleagues through the years who have played integral roles in collaborating on teaching, research and service projects and in ensuring we are providing students with a strong foundation for careers in rehabilitation counseling.”

Crystal is the Wallace Charles Hill Professor of Counselor Education at the University of Kentucky College of Education, where he has been on faculty since 1981. He currently is chair of the Department of Early Childhood, Special Education and Counselor Education.

“Dr. Crystal has influenced the training of countless students of rehabilitation counseling during his nearly 40 years at the University of Kentucky,” said UK College of Education Dean Julian Vasquez Heilig. “Our college developed the first online master’s program at the University of Kentucky, and it was one of the first in the nation for rehabilitation counseling. We are consistently ranked among the top 10 programs in the nation. The history and quality of our programs can be attributed to the work of our faculty and their reputation in the field. We are thankful that, since 1981, Dr. Crystal has helped prepare our students to make a difference.”

Crystal received his doctoral degree in rehabilitation psychology, educational research and statistics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1977. Prior to that, he completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Pace University and a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling at New York University.

Prior to joining the faculty at UK, Crystal began his career as director of counseling, evaluation and employment at a community rehabilitation program. Following that, he received an appointment as research director and assistant professor with the rehabilitation research and education programs at the University of Michigan.

Crystal has been a principal investigator of federal and state grants and contracts to conduct evaluation of state vocational rehabilitation agencies, client assistance programs and state model evaluation units. Through the years, he has worked on numerous federal grants to support students; state grants to conduct client satisfaction studies; and contracts to evaluate state vocational rehabilitation programs. Crystal oversaw the development of UK’s undergraduate disabilities studies program and the doctoral program in counselor education and supervision.

Crystal’s academic work has included research published in peer reviewed journals, books and related publications on program evaluation methodologies and studies of state vocational rehabilitation programs. His writing has included studies of forensic vocational practices, development and establishment of curriculum for rehabilitation education programs and studies of client satisfaction and program and student learning outcomes.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.