As we come to the close of 2005, I would like to express my appreciation to the board of directors, the USDLA National Office, and membership for their confidence in me and support of my presidency. It’s been a fulfilling year and I’d like to share with our readership some of the highlights.
Conferences
USDLA held its spring and fall conferences in conjunction with VNU Learning’s Training Conference & Expo. Both conferences highlighted numerous USDLA sessions as well as a USDLA Pavilion that featured the latest innovations in distance learning technologies.
Board Meetings and Strategic Planning
Each year, the board conducts its meetings in the spring, summer, and fall. This year, the meetings were held in New Orleans, Santa Fe, and Long Beach. The summer board meeting was combined with a strategic planning work session under the leadership of Presidentelect Paul Roitman Bardack.
Awards
Chaired by Don Lake, the USDLA Awards program was revamped and refreshed this year. As a result, USDLA received more submissions than in any other previous year. Award winners were honored at the awards ceremony in Long Beach, California. This year’s awards highlighted the deployment of various distance learning technologies and include online, satellite, and videoconferencing components. Included for the first time this year was a 21st Century Best Practice Award, as well as the Best Practice Awards for Distance Learning Programming and Excellence in Distance Learning Teaching Awards. Visit www.usdla.org for a complete roster of award winners.
State Chapters
Executive Vice President Bill Jackson led the state chapter presidents in regular meetings. To help share programs between state chapters, a new “tool kit” was posted on the USDLA Web site. In addition, the USDLA Awards program included a competitive state chapter award. This year’s winner is the Alliance for Distance Education in California.
New Leadership
The board of directors welcomed new board members in June: Russ Colbert, Global education market director for Polycom; Mary Beth Susman, director of education for Rocky Mountain PBS; and Kris Phelps of Iowa State University.
Don Olcott, Jr., of Western Oregon University, was elected to serve as our president-elect and will become USDLA president in October 2006.
Paul Roitman Bardack assumed the USDLA presidency at our October board meeting. We look forward to his leadership!
The Best is Yet to Come …
Recognizing the role of women leaders in our profession, USDLA will host the second annual International Forum for Women in E-learning, which will be held March 27-29 in Galveston, Texas. Darcy Hardy and the IFWE committee are planning the program and will have additional information posted on www.usdla.org.
A USDLA sponsored Distance Learning National Policy Forum is being planned for 2006. Under the direction of board member Reggie Smith and the Public Policy Committee, the logistics and program planning is underway. Additional information will be posted on www.usdla.org.
We are all looking forward to an outstanding 2006 for the United States Distance Learning Association. We hope you join us! Sign up for your membership at www.usdla.org.
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