LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Dr. Jesse B. DeEsch, associate professor of graduate education at Rider University, has received the highest distinction in the field of group counseling with induction as a Fellow in the Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW).

Dr. DeEsch, a resident of Langhorne, PA, becomes one of only 37 group work specialists to have received this distinction in the 6,000-member ASGW's 25-year history. The selection to Fellow status recognizes extraordinary efforts by members in the area of group work, including psycho-educational, therapy, and task groups.

"This is certainly the highest award I've ever received," said Dr. DeEsch, who was chosen on the specific basis of his leadership in professional activities and organizations. "The distinction of being one of 37 people ever to be inducted over the 25-year history of the organization is quite an honor to me. It's something I never dreamed would happen."

The ASGW is a component of the larger American Counseling Association (ACA), the national professional consortium for counselors. Dr. DeEsch, a charter member and current presidential candidate of the ASGW, was inducted as a Fellow during the ACA World Conference held April 2-7, 1997 in Orlando, FL.

Dr. DeEsch has been a member of the Rider faculty since 1974. In addition to his involvement with the ACA, he recently chaired the New Jersey Counseling Association's (NJCA) spring conference, and will become president of the 1,500-member NJCA in July.

Rider University is an independent, co-educational, non-sectarian institution with a 353-acre campus in Lawrenceville, NJ, and a 23-acre campus in Princeton, NJ. Ninety-five percent of Rider's faculty members hold doctorate or other appropriate advanced degrees. U.S. News and World Report has again ranked Rider in the top tier of northern universities based on the quality of its programs.