 In April 2010, Correa received the 2009 Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement from the University of llinois.Correa, who earned a doctorate in Economics at the university in 2001, was recognized for his commitment to public service and his leadership in implementing economic development and political reforms in Ecuador.Later that month Matt Lloyd, a University of Illinois graduate who became a US State Department employee, wrote an op-ed in the "Chicago Tribune" criticizing the university for making the award to Correa.