Staff of the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) have recently been recognized with institutional awards for advocacy, partnership and collaboration.
Stephanie Richter, Exemplary Advocate Award for Faculty/Staff, Presidential Commission on Persons with Disabilities
Through her advocacy for accessibility of digital course materials and implementation of the Blackboard Ally accessibility tool, Stephanie Richter, director of Teaching Excellence and Support in the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) has demonstrated an outstanding record of service and leadership at NIU to persons with disabilities.
“While Stephanie’s advocacy and leadership of Blackboard Ally is itself worthy of recognition, it is just one visible example of her extensive involvement in accessibility advocacy that dates back many years,” said Jason Rhode, executive director of the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL).
Rhode said in conjunction with the implementation of Blackboard Ally, Richter has led CITL’s broader training and support efforts – in collaboration with other units across campus – to promote universal design for learning and accessibility of course materials for all students.
“Stephanie Richter is most certainly deserving of this year’s Exemplary Advocate Award for Faculty/Staff for her advocacy efforts,” Rhode said. “Both in the past and into the future, (her efforts) have a wide-reaching impact in ensuring accessible learning experiences for all NIU students.”
Stephanie Richter, SPS Award for Advocacy, Supportive Professional Staff Council
Her advocacy for digital accessibility was further recognized by the NIU Supportive Professional Staff Council, as Stephanie Richter also received the 2022 SPS Award for Advocacy. This award is given to someone who, “must have advocated for policies and practices that helped created a positive environment for students, faculty and/or staff.”
“Stephanie has been an active member of the worldwide Blackboard User Community for many years and has always represented NIU and our faculty well,” said Chad McEvoy, vice provost for Faculty Affairs. “She worked very closely with the Presidential Commission on Persons with Disabilities to propose and seek support from senior university leadership to license and implement Blackboard Ally.”
“Stephanie has been instrumental in planning for the broader institutional rollout of Blackboard Ally, reaching out to other institutions who had previously adopted for their recommendations and best practices” said Jason Rhode, executive director of CITL. “She is currently leading the development of a framework for recognizing faculty for creating more accessible course materials that will be introduced later this spring, starting with recognition for having an accessible syllabus and sharing resources with students about using Ally. I’m so pleased to know that Stephanie recently shared these developments with the Presidential Commission on Persons with Disabilities and received the commission’s overwhelming support to continue this important accessibility work.”
Jason Rhode, SPS Award for Partnership and Collaboration, Supportive Professional Staff Council
Through his collaborative and personal style of leadership and partnership, Jason Rhode, executive director of the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL), has demonstrated “cooperation and collaboration for the betterment of the NIU community” and received the 2022 SPS Award for Partnership and Collaboration. “I first met Jason when I joined NIU as dean of University Libraries in 2017,” said Fred Barnhart, dean of University Libraries. “From our very first meeting, I have found Jason to be an eager and enthusiastic partner and collaborator who is always willing to think outside the box and pursue new opportunities to work together for the betterment of our NIU community. He models a genuine desire to work together in new ways to advance the university.”
“Dr. Rhode has been a critical partner for me and my College of Business leadership team as we establish, develop, and execute our digital strategy for the college,” said Balaji Rajagopalan, dean of the College of Business. “Time and again he has been a confidant and collaborator as we move forward with building our online program offerings. He has become a fixture of online education growth and development at NIU broadly and specifically within the College of Business.”
