Consider reading this narrative in the order in which it was composed, starting with Post #1.
I was lucky to have direct bosses, vice presidents and presidents throughout the decades who supported our growth and efforts in distance learning / e-learning. The distinction between "administration" and "faculty" is often a "soft one" because many administrators originally came from the classroom. And some few continue to wear more than one hat, teaching part-time while also overseeing a division or program (myself included). I have appreciated the special support, personal guidance and program advocacy of so many administrators, whether as my direct "bosses" or as higher-tiered college leaders.
NSC's e-Learning Program (and my own career) benefitted from the leadership of people like Dean Katherine Riley, Dean Tom Griffith, Dean Phil Roche, Vice President Pete Lortz, President Mark Mitsui and President Warren Brown, to list just a few. Their names will appear many times in the e-learning chronicle posted ahead. Here I just want to shout out a personal appreciation for several of these dedicated educators (who will also appear in the history shared later as well).
Jacqueline L. Mundell
Jacque Mundell was the "Dean of Instructional and Information Support Services" at North Seattle College in the early 2000s, and she was my direct boss during that time. Jacque was already a noted leader in library administration when she came to NSC as sort of her career "finale". Jacque was always thinking "beyond one college", wanting to share out the strategies and techniques for what worked well toward the seamless integration of student and faculty support across a college's services. With Coryl Celene-Martel, we published "An Organizational Model for Instructional Support at a Community College" (2003, Information Technology and Libraries, Vol.22, Issue 2, 61-67). Jacque, Jean Kent and I also attended multiple national conferences on pedagogical uses of technology in education, getting together at the end of each day to share notes and brainstorm on how to apply what we had learned in workshops and presentations while it wss fresh in mind. It was especially fun and effective to "nerd out" in this way! Even after her retirement, the three of us would periodically have fun lunches together to talk about the latest best classroom uses of technology and, in fact, Jacque and Jean subsequently designed (for the American Library Association) free online workshops on educational technologies like Photoshop Essentials. Jacque died in 2018 at age 77, and I miss her.
Dr. Ron LaFayette served as North Seattle College's president from 2001 to 2009. His presidency was just one of his many recognized accomplishments in higher education, especially his efforts toward creating pathways for non-traditional students and those with disabilities (especially the hearing-impaired). Ron truly was a lifelong learner and a believer in the potential for new technologies to serve campus and distance learners. After his retirement, he periodically dropped by the e-Learning Center to share with us the latest technologies that he had tested out and thought might be helpful to our faculty and students (and they were!). He continued to bring forth ideas that went beyond one college or district. Ron was working on a multimedia wiki to anthologize the history of the Seattle College District for a broader sounding board. He was compiling interviews and documents to form a useful archive and, through the unique technological power of the wiki, he was designing ways to allow others to readily contribute their memories and reflections from their times at the colleges. Ron passed away in 2014 at age 71 before he was able to launch this project.
Dr. Mary Ellen O'Keeffe had several leadership roles, as Executive Workforce Dean, Vice President of Instruction, Interim President at North Seattle College, and Interim Vice Chancellor for the Seattle College District. In every position, Mary Ellen was at the forefront of system-wide projects that were designed to enhance student access, support and success. These endeavors harnessed the power of data-driven technologies to create pathways for students toward reaching their specific goals. Some of these projects will be described later, but here I just want to mention something that Mary Ellen modeled for those of us who were supervised by her. At a Thanksgiving-week meeting of her deans and directors, Mary Ellen took time to share around the table her gratitude for each one of us, describing a specific quality and work ethic she admired and appreciated. To be personally valued in front of one's peers had a strong impact on me, and I think it also demonstrated Mary Ellen's deep commitment to share credit with everyone she worked with.
Finally, a photograph that I treasure from an undated college event long ago. These three guys loved what they did, and were fortunate to work with so many others who did as well!
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