Regional Awards Recipients

Engagement Award
Learning Inside Out Network (LION)
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Fairbanks Correctional Center

Outstanding Administrative Process or Service Award
Alaska Advantage Program
University of Alaska Fairbanks eCampus

Outstanding Credit Program Award
Master of Science in Cyber Security Degree
California State University Dominguez Hills

Outstanding Non-Credit Program Award
Certificate in Software Product Management
University of Washington Continuum College

Outstanding Student Award
Stacey Stringfellow
University of Arizona Online

Excellence in Teaching Award

Helen Barnes

Boise State University

Engagement Award

College & Career Pathways for Alternative Education Students: A Partnership between Riverside County Office of Education and UC Riverside Extension

University of California, Riverside

Outstanding Student Award

Maria del Carmen Gonzalez

California State University, Fullerton

Outstanding Credit Program Award

Return to the U

University of Utah

Outstanding Non-Credit Program Award

Online Beekeeping Certificate Program

University of Montana

Outstanding Service Award

Shelly Wang

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Excellence in Teaching

Michael P. Toothman

University of California Riverside

Engagement Award

Center for International Trade & Transportation and the Port of Long Beach Academy of Global Logistics at Cabrillo High School

California State University, Long Beach

Outstanding Administrative Process or Service

Records Retention, Academic Programs

University of Washington Continuum College

Outstanding Credit Program

Master of Science in Health Care Administration

California State University, Long Beach

Outstanding Non-Credit Program

Ghostwriting Professional Designation Program

California State University, Long Beach

Outstanding Service

Carmin Chan

University of Arizona

Emerging Continuing Education Professional

Julie Damron

Brigham Young University

Engagement Award

Workforce Development Professional Apprenticeship Program

College of Continuing Education at Sacramento State

Outstanding Administrative Process or Service

Jason Lau

GPS Scholarship (Summer/Intersession), School of Extended & International Education
Sonoma State University

Outstanding Credit Program

Certificate in Applied Animal Behavior

University of Washington Continuum College

Outstanding Non-Credit Program

Animal Shelter Management Certificate: Lifesaving-Centered, Center for Professional and Continuing Education

University of the Pacific

Outstanding Student

Theresa Whitlock-Wild

Lewis-Clark State College

Outstanding Credit Program Award
Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences
Oregon State University, Ecampus

Outstanding Credit Program Award (Pictured L to R): Award-winner Jessica DuPont, Oregon State University with UPCEA CEO Robert Hansen.

Oregon State University's reputation as a leader in the fields of fisheries and wildlife was bolstered in 2009 when OSU became the first institution to offer an online bachelor’s program in fisheries and wildlife sciences. The program has been a resounding success since then, with widespread learner satisfaction and national acclaim for program faculty.

Outstanding Noncredit Program Award
Hornet Heartsaver Program
Sacramento State

Outstanding Noncredit Program Award (Pictured L to R): UPCEA CEO Robert Hansen with award-winner Jenni Murphy, Sacramento State.
 
The Hornet Heartsaver program was launched as a way to offer accessible, low-cost CPR and life support courses to Sac State students, faculty, staff, alumni and affiliates. The goal and purpose of the Hornet Heartsaver program is also to increase cardiovascular health awareness and train the campus community to be better prepared to respond to a CPR emergency.
 

UPCEA West Engagement Award

Certificate in Localization: Customizing the Software World
University of Washington, Educational Outreach

UPCEA West Engagement Award (Pictured L to R): UPCEA CEO Robert Hansen with award-winner Erik Bansleben, University of Washington
 
The objective of the certificate in Software Localization has been to help businesses customize their products and services for success in foreign markets. This modular certificate will help participants in orienting them to the latest trends and use of localization tools such as machine translation, terminology management and global content management systems. Building on one’s existing skills in foreign languages, project management or software, one gains a solid understanding of localization project management and engineering practices employed in this expanding field.

Outstanding Non-traditional Student Award
Lori St. Pierre
Graduate Certificate in Addiction Counseling
Montana State University Bozeman

Outstanding Non-Traditional Student Award: Award-winner Lori St. Pierre, Montana State University Bozeman
 
Born in 1960 and raised on Rocky Boy Reservation, Lori achieved her dream to complete her bachelor’s degree in Community Leadership with a minor in Native American Studies in fall 2013 and her Addiction Counseling Graduate Certificate in spring 2014. Her health issues, disability and myriad of family commitments nearly stopped her from pursuing her dream on many occasions. But Loris’s commitment to her education, in spite of the challenges provides inspiration for others who wish to achieve their goals, in spite of adversity.

Excellence in Teaching Award
Margaret E. Pickard, Esq.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Excellence in Teaching Award: Award-winner Margaret E. Pickard, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
 
Margaret Pickard is a distinguished instructor and attorney. She is best known for developing and teaching curriculum for the nationally recognized UNLV Paralegal Certificate and Cooperative Parenting programs. UNLV recently honored Pickard with its 2015 Educational Outreach Faculty Excellence Award for her wealth of knowledge and love for educating others.

Emerging Professional Continuing or Online Educator
Ilanko Subramaniam
University of Washington, Educational Outreach

Emerging Professional Continuing or Online Educator Award: Award-winner Ilanko Subramaniam, University of Washington, Educational Outreach
 
Ilanko Subramaniam is a Senior Director of Professional Services with Maclear LLC. He leads Maclear’s Professional Services practice, focusing on assisting medium- to large-sized organizations attain maturity in governance, risk management and compliance (GRC). Before joining Maclear, Subramaniam was instrumental in establishing and maturing the Enterprise Risk Management program at Microsoft Corporation. He is an active contributor to the risk management community and lectures on Applied Risk Management at the UW through the Information School. Subramaniam has more than 15 years of industry experience and has also worked at KPMG, Visa, Sun Microsystems and other Fortune 100 companies.

Outstanding Service Award
Carol A. Creighton
University Extended Education, California State University, Fullerton

Outstanding Service Award (Pictured L to R): UPCEA CEO Robert Hansen with award-winner Carol Creighton, California State University, Fullerton
 
Carol Creighton serves as Associate Dean of University Extended Education at Cal State Fullerton and has spent the last sixteen years in the work of continuing higher education.  In her role as Associate Dean, she provides strategic leadership and oversight for the Academic Program Units of University Extended Education, which include:  Summer Session, Intersession, Self-Support Degree Programs, Professional Development Programs, Programs for Educators, Business Development, Instructional Design/Distance Education, Academic Operations & Support Services, International Programs & Partnerships, Open University Advising and the Osher Life Long Learning Institute.  Carol works closely within the campus community and across a broad spectrum of the private and public sectors of Orange County in extending the reach of the university out into the community.  Before coming to Cal State Fullerton, Carol was President and CEO of a legal services firm specializing in public sector law.  Her clients included the Los Angeles County office of the County Counsel, the Los Angeles County Office of the Public Defender, and the Office of the Los Angeles City Attorney.  Carol also spent six years as a K-12 educator in California, Florida and Maryland.  She received both her B.A. and M.A. from California State University, Long Beach.
 

Outstanding Administrative Process or Service Award
Online Registration for Induction Credits
Brandman University

Outstanding Administrative Process or Service Award (Pictured L to R): UPCEA CEO Robert Hansen with award-winner Saralyn Smith, Brandman University
 
Working within the main university systems and using existing technology, the School of Extended Education created an online registration process for its Induction Partners that has cut registration turnarounds in half while increasing revenue by 51% since 2013. The new process includes individual microsites, automated emails, and digital document submission.

Outstanding Credit Program Award
Certificate in Information Security and Risk Management
University of Washington, Educational Outreach

Outstanding Credit Program Award: Pictures (L to R): Bea Gonzalez, UPCEA President, Syracuse University with award-winners Lalitha Subramanian and Barbara Endicott-Popovsky, University of Washington

The focus of the Certificate in Information Security and Risk Management (ISRM) will be to enable IT professionals to manage the defense and protection of vital company information from attack using the latest technologies and strategies.  These professionals will have the necessary knowledge and expertise to investigate the types of external and internal threats that can compromise customer data, employee personal information and digitized intellectual property.  In addition, they will be able to examine and craft effective policies for mitigating risks, and learn how to implement security and remediation measures across an entire organization.

Outstanding Noncredit Program Award
Craft Brewery Startup Workshop
Oregon State University

Outstanding Noncredit Program Award: Pictured (L to R): Award-winner Chris LaBelle, Oregon State University with Bea Gonzalez, UPCEA President, Syracuse University

Oregon State University’s Professional and Continuing Education offers a unique experience to learn beer entrepreneurship from industry leaders through its Craft Brewery Startup Workshop. Designed for entrepreneurs interested in starting a brewery, these 5-day short courses are hosted in two of the top craft brewery locations in Oregon: Bend and Portland. Participants are provided with industry insight and best practices for designing, opening and growing a craft brewery business. The course is taught by leading industry experts and provides opportunities to network with entrepreneurs and successful breweries such as Elysian Brewing and Two Beers Brewing Company of Seattle, Wash., Sirius Brewpub of Clear Lake, Texas, Widmer Brothers Brewing of Portland, Ore. and Ninkasi Brewing Company of Eugene, Ore.

UPCEA West Engagement Award
Workforce Innovation Information Technology Certificates
Brandman University

UPCEA West Engagement Award: Pictured (L to R): Award-winners Ricardo Lorenzana and Carol Howard, Brandman University with Bea Gonzalez, UPCEA President, Syracuse University

Employers have widely reported a skill gap between the knowledge, skills and abilities they need and the knowledge, skills and abilities they see in graduating students.  The Department of Labor’s Workforce Innovation Fund grant, awarded to the Orange County Workforce Investment Board, was focused on addressing this gap.  Orange County Workforce Development Board saw this as an opportunity to bring business and education stakeholders to the same table in order to allow the business stakeholders to define educational outcomes they require, to catalog the existing curriculum, and make determinations as to what curriculum needed to be developed to fill the gap.  Collaborative work resulted in several IT/business certificate programs designed with the learning outcomes defined by business, a robust internship system, specialized veterans’ services, and scholarships for eligible students.  The partnerships that were developed as a result of this funding and the vision of Orange County Workforce Development Board have already provided all partners, including Brandman University, with the opportunity to develop new collaborative working relationships between business and education resulting in robust programs, new marketing channels, comprehensive student services and more.

Outstanding Non-Traditional Student Award
Donna Lester
Bachelor of Science in Social Science
University of Wyoming

Outstanding Non-Traditional Student Award: Pictured (L to R): Bea Gonzalez, UPCEA President, Syracuse University with award-winners Donna Lester, Beverly Bell and Reed Scull, University of Wyoming

Donna Lester is an undergraduate distance student in the University of Wyoming’s Social Science degree program.  Donna is a single parent of two sons, works part time, volunteers in the Cody, WY community, and is a full time student, maintaining a 3.8 cumulative GPA.

Although Donna is a Wyoming native, she worked for years as a staffer in the State of California, working as a counselor in drug and alcohol treatment programs targeting mothers of young children and supporting those mothers in reclaiming their lives.  She returned to Wyoming in 2012 to live near her mother.  As she commenced her University of Wyoming degree program, she learned that her mother was terminally ill with lung cancer.  Totally committed to her educational goals, she continued her academic journey, though experiencing tremendous grief from the eventually passing of her mother.  Her commitment to academic success, service to others, and support for her sons has not wavered, and she is firmly on a track to graduate from the university in two years’ time [or less].  Donna is an inspiration and a cause for celebration for all of us in the Outreach School.  She continues to assert that this continued success is only possible due to distance education that is appropriately geared to the needs of nontraditional adult learners.

Excellence in Teaching Award
Barbara Endicott-Popovsky
University of Washington, Educational Outreach

Excellence in Teaching Award: Pictured (L to R): Award-winner Barbara Endicott-Popovsky, University of Washington with Bea Gonzalez, UPCEA President, Syracuse University

As director for the Center of Information Assurance and Cybersecurity, Barbara Endicott-Popovsky is responsible for facilitating the direction and development of the center, which is a National Security Agency/Department of Homeland Security Center for Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education and Research. Her research interests include enterprise-wide information systems security and compliance management, forensic-ready networks, the science of digital forensics and integrating secure coding practices. Her 20-year career in industry includes executive positions creating and managing strategic IT plans, projects and standards efforts. She has a master’s in information systems engineering and a doctorate in computer science.

Professional Contributions to Continuing Education Award
Cheryl Livneh
Portland State University, Graduate School of Education

Professional Contributions to Continuing Education Award: Pictured (L to R): Bea Gonzalez, UPCEA President, Syracuse University with award-winner Cheryl Livneh, Portland State University

Dr. Cheryl Livneh is the Associate Dean and Director of Continuing Education in the Graduate School of Education at Portland State University.  Since 1987, she has worked at Portland State University to deliver high-quality professional development programs in the education and human services fields for adults in the Portland State community, throughout the state of Oregon, nationally, and internationally. She is the director of Continuing Education (CEED) at PSU, holds a faculty position in the Educational Leadership and Policy Department, and is the Associate Dean for Outreach for the Graduate School of Education.

She began at PSU in 1987 to oversee two staff and a small program that offered professional development through cooperative and sponsored courses. Her directive at the time included expansion of offerings to include courses originating from departments within the Graduate School of Education. From this humble beginning, she built a robust successful, self-support department with 28 current programs, more than 1,500 courses per year, 26 professional and support staff, and annual revenue of more than $2 million dollars.

Outstanding Credit Program

Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies
Western Oregon University

Outstanding Credit Program Award: Pictured (L to R): Wendy Evers, UPCEA Region West Chair, San Diego State University with award-winner Elisa Maroney, Western Oregon University

The MA in Interpreting Studies provides interpreters and interpreter educators advanced scholarship that focuses on theoretical, practical, and teaching applications; thus, advancing the standards and leadership of the interpreting profession via research, rigorous study, and practice. The goals of this program are to provide professional interpreters with the opportunity for growth and development beyond the undergraduate level and to participate in observation, practice, and supervision; to add to a growing body of research on interpreting and interpreter education, and to develop highly qualified interpreter educators and leaders in the field of interpreting.

Within the program, interpreting professionals will take courses primarily online to enhance their experience and knowledge. These professionals will be uniquely skilled in helping students understand interpreting as a practice profession, educate the next generation on self evaluation and continued growth, and will be committed to seeing quality research to advance the profession. Professionals exit this program with excellent leadership skills to take the field to the next level.

Outstanding Noncredit Program

UBC/DAA Award of Achievement in Digital Analytics
University of British Columbia, Continuing Education

Outstanding Non-Credit Program Award: Pictured (L to R): Award-winner Lynn Fujino, University of British Columbia and Wendy Evers, UPCEA Region West Chair, San Diego State University

The UBC/DAA Award of Achievement in Digital Analytics (formerly Web Analytics) is designed for marketing and IT managers in the development and deployment of Internet initiatives, including interactive marketers, web/marketing analysts, project managers, web developers, information architects, consultants, systems and business analysts as well as executives in IT, e-commerce, marketing and sales. With an emphasis on critical thinking and discovery, the program delivers leading-edge skills relevant to every business and sector with a digital presence, including high-tech, corporate, education, government and small business. Delivered jointly by UBC Continuing Studies and the Digital Analytics Association, the program is comprised of four 100% online courses and teaches students how to create and manage a digital analytics program, how to increase site optimization and conversion goals, create solutions to common business problems, build support for an analytical culture, and generate measurable business value. Students build proficiency in digital analytics through assignments and project work using an interactive combination of lectures, videos, readings and online discussions to deliver program content. Program content is provided by the Education Committee of the Digital Analytics Association (formerly the Web Analytics Association), consisting of recognized industry professionals and facilitated by online tutors with significant industry experience. To date, the UBC/DAA Award of Achievement in Digital Analytics has had over 800 graduates from over 40 countries around the world.

Outstanding Administrative Process or Service

Summer Revenue Projection Tool
California State University, Chico, Regional and Continuing Education

Regional and Continuing Education (RCE) administers a self-supporting Summer Session in partnership with the University’s seven colleges.  RCE is expected to return revenue to the campus to support the mission of the University.  The goal of the process nominated for this award is to provide the college deans with the information and incentive they need to make real-time, data-driven decisions that directly impact Summer Session and increase the revenue available for distribution to the colleges.  Those decisions require an effective and easy way for deans to monitor projected revenue against faculty cost and to track the impact of daily enrollment changes during the registration period leading up to the start of Summer Session on the overall financial return they wish to realize.  Using actual salary figures and enrollment and revenue projects, RCE created an administrative process and revenue projection tool that empowers deans with real-time data to make decisions about faculty assignments, enrollment capacity, and whether the college can afford to run an under-enrolled class or if an additional section is financially viable.  As a result of this process, in Summer Session 2013 an additional 201 students were served and $180,180 in additional revenue was generated.

Outstanding Non-traditional Student Award

Mary Ellen Hurley
B.S. in Sociology
Oregon State University Extended Campus

Outstanding Nontraditional Student: Pictured (L to R): Tyler Hansen and Lisa Templeton, Oregon State University, award-winner Mary Ellen Mooney Hurley, Oregon State University, Wendy Evers, UPCEA Region West Chair, San Diego State University and Jessica DuPont, UPCEA Region West Secretary, Oregon State University

Mary Ellen Hurley’s life story is long and complicated, but one can try to sum it up with a series of numbers.She spent 21 years in Dayton, Oregon, as the neighborhood “mom” to pregnant teens and wayward kids who needed help that no one else was willing to give. Hurley used to drive 100 miles each day from Dayton to Corvallis and back for her Oregon State classes.

In 2011 she packed up and moved 2,600 miles to Kauai in the middle of her studies as an Oregon State University Ecampus student. Using her online course work in rural environmental sociology as a guide, she serves as the director of a community garden and food pantry that combine to feed 300 families every week.  The locals call her “Auntie”. And this June – two months before her 52nd birthday – Hurley earned a college degree.  It was an educational journey that took more than 30 years to complete, but she sees it as the beginning of perhaps the most important work of her life.

Excellence in Teaching Award

Stanley Gregory
Oregon State University

Stan Gregory is 32 years into his career as an award-winning educator and a widely respected leader in ecological studies.  In a matter of months he will retire from Oregon State University, and the distance students who revere his teaching methods will be left with a notable void in their academic pursuits.

With his legacy fully intact, Stan could approach Year 33 like a victory lap, content to fall back on the robust instructional practices he has employed over three decades.  Instead, he’s treating it like a professor who still has something to prove.

“To be very honest, I do not feel that I have achieved the level of individualized student interaction and mentoring that I desire,” he said recently.  It’s an odd statement considering that all the evidence suggests Stan in an outstanding mentor of students.

The impact of Stan’s instructional expertise resonates with OSU’s distance students around the globe, including hydrologists, biologists and other scientists who seek out his courses in order to meet certification requirements for various professional societies and organizations.  Other Oregon State faculty also have benefited greatly from his work; in April he shared his online teaching experiences and successes at the annual Oregon State Ecampus Faculty Forum, where hundreds of instructors and OSU administrators gather to discuss excellence in online teaching.  His presentation was titled “Online Labs: Creative Solutions to the Impossible,” and it was very well received and inspired his OSU colleagues in science-related fields to explore innovative ways to develop and improve similar courses online.

It is fair to say that OSU will not be recognized as a national leader in fisheries and wildlife were it not for the decades-long efforts made by Stan in and out of the classroom.  He is highly sought-after expert on matters of river restoration and conservation, and his knowledge and enthusiasm have been shared with large, diverse audiences as a result of serving on numerous boards and commissions throughout the years.  Included among them are the National Science Foundation’s Biocomplexity Program, Oregon Department of Forestry, National Academy of Sciences and Willamette River Basin Task Force.