Here is an archived showcase of OSU faculty and Ecampus staff, students and courses that have won awards, or OSU faculty and Ecampus staff who have been appointed or elected to prestigious positions outside of the university. For a more recent list of honorees, visit our main awards page.
Ecampus named Oregon’s best online education program
Sept. 12, 2014 – The Ecampus distance education program at Oregon State University was named the best online college in Oregon by TheBestSchools.org, an organization that provides in-depth ranking of degree programs, colleges and universities. The rankings are based on academic excellence, faculty strength, online teaching methods, awards, the number of programs offered and other criteria, organization officials said.
“OSU’s dedication to online education has brought us to regard it as the best online college in Oregon,” said Wayne Downs, the site’s managing editor. This is the latest in series of prestigious rankings for OSU Ecampus, which is widely regarded as one of the nation’s best providers of online education.
Marketing and Enrollment Services team wins gold – twice
Sept. 12, 2014 – For the fourth straight year, Oregon State Ecampus received multiple marketing awards from the University Professional and Continuing Education Assocation (UPCEA). Ecampus’ Marketing and Enrollment Services department won gold in the Interactive Media category thanks to its Ecampus in 30 Seconds video campaign on YouTube. Ecampus also earned top honors in the Outdoor/Billboard Signage category.
UPCEA is a leading association for online education, serving more than 400 public and private colleges and universities in North America.
Ecampus recognized for its ‘outstanding’ faculty development program
Aug. 16, 2014 – The Online Learning Consortium (formerly known as the Sloan Consortium) named the Oregon State Ecampus faculty development program as the recipient of the 2014 OLC Award for Excellence in Faculty Development for Online Teaching. This is one of the most prestigious awards given in the field of online learning.
Shannon Riggs is the director of the Ecampus course development and training team, which coordinates the faculty development program. The award recognizes an institution that has developed and delivered an outstanding, comprehensive program for faculty professional development in online teaching.
American Marketing Association tabs Ecampus as a winner
June 11, 2014 – Oregon State Ecampus earned a notable distinction from the American Marketing Association’s Portland division, winning top prize in the Expert Integrated Campaign category at the AMA PDX MAX Awards.
The honor recognized Ecampus for its “Top-ranked in the Nation” campaign. The category takes into account strategy, creative/design, specific tactics and results. These broad, regional marketing efforts were produced by Ecampus’ Marketing and Enrollment Services team.
Ecampus director Riggs honored as faculty leadership ‘Hero’
May 12, 2014 – Shannon Riggs, the OSU Ecampus director of course development and training, received the Professional Faculty Leadership Association’s “Our Hero” award for May 2014. Riggs, who started at Ecampus in May 2011, was recognized for helping faculty across campus discover different and better possibilities in their course design.
Computer science faculty fêted for their innovation
April 16, 2014 – The collective excellence of instructors in OSU’s post-baccalaureate online program in computer science are a major reason why the program is attracting a record number of students. That excellence also helped those instructors win the 2014 Innovation in Online Credit-based Teaching Award.
The honor is part of the Vice Provost Awards for Excellence ceremony, which is presented by the Division of University Outreach and Engagement. The award is given to candidate(s) who have pioneered an innovative approach to the design or execution of teaching online. Instructors and program administrators who were honored are Terri Fiez, Justin Wolford, Justin Goins, Joseph Jess, Samina Ehsan, Karti Mayaram, and Padma Akkaraju.
U.S. News & World Report labels OSU a ‘Best Online Program’
Jan. 8, 2014 – Oregon State Ecampus is now a badge-eligible “Best Online Program” as ranked by U.S. News & World Report. Of the 275 universities and colleges who submitted data for U.S. News’ second annual Best Online Education rankings, OSU ranked 46th in the category of Best Online Bachelor’s Programs. That places OSU in the top 16.5 percent of all universities who submitted data. Among land grant universities in the report, Oregon State ranks No. 5 nationally.
Website redesign, focus on responsiveness nets bronze medal
Nov. 7, 2013 – Members of the Oregon State Ecampus marketing team took home the Interactive Media Bronze Medal at this year’s University Professional and Continuing Education Assocation marketing conference. Ecampus earned the third-place prize for its mobile-responsive website redesign, making the site more user friendly across all browsing platforms and enabling learners and prospective students to gather the information they need more effectively.
OSU named one of nation’s 10 best public online colleges
Sept. 25, 2013 – Citing Oregon State’s quality academic standards, student learning outcomes, technological advances and the availability of financial aid, editors of the highly utilized website AffordableCollegesOnline.org today ranked OSU 10th on its inaugural list of the nation’s Best Public Online Colleges. Delivered online by Ecampus, OSU’s online programs enable students to be “part of a diverse global community at an institution that is respected nationally for its work in sustainability and renewable energy.”
Hawaii’s Hurley, professor Gregory win UPCEA West’s top honors
Sept. 2, 2013 – Mary Ellen Hurley, a 2013 OSU graduate, is this year’s recipient of the Outstanding Non-Traditional Student Award from the University Professional and Continuing Education Assocation’s West Region. Mary Ellen earned a B.S. in Sociology online while living in Kauai, and her inspiring story was featured by OSU President Ed Ray in his commencement speech in June. This is the third straight year an Ecampus student has won the West Region award, following Erika Busch in 2011 and Sarah Price in 2012.
Stan Gregory earned UPCEA’s Excellence in Teaching Award based on his never-ending commitment to improving the learning experience for his distance students. Stan is known for his innovation as an online course developer, outstanding mentorship of students and colleagues, and overall expertise as an ecologist. He is the second Ecampus instructor to win the award in the last three years; Dan Edge (also from fisheries and wildlife) won the regional and national awards in 2011-12.
Four years and counting for Ecampus on national top 25 lists
July 16, 2013 – In what has become an annual theme for Oregon State University, its online education programs are considered among the very best in America according to a newly released ranking for the 2013-14 school year. SuperScholar researched and evaluated regionally accredited online schools and determined that OSU Ecampus is the 12th best in the nation when it comes to online education.
The independent website based its findings on program quality, marketability and affordability. This marks the fourth straight school year in which Ecampus was ranked by a national organization.
Ecampus advisor, faculty member snag awards for student service
April 23, 2013 – A good advisor is invaluable to a college student, and OSU Ecampus is fortunate to have plenty on hand. Kerry Thomas fits the bill, and the College of Liberal Arts advisor has been honored for her excellent work by the National Academic Advising Association. Thomas is a 2013 recipient of NACADA’s Certificate of Merit in the Primary Advising category.
The role of advisor often extends to faculty, too, and highly popular Ecampus instructor Kevin Ahern, Ph.D., is this year’s winner of the NACADA Outstanding Faculty Advising Award. Ahern teaches courses in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, and he is also OSU’s director of undergraduate research.
Ecampus grad Sarah Price shares her story and how she overcame a predetermined path to poverty.
Price’s resolve lands her national student award
Feb. 21, 2013 – Nine months after earning her Oregon State degree online and meeting Michelle Obama, the rewards keep rolling in for Sarah Price. The 27-year-old Ecampus graduate has been named the nation’s Outstanding Continuing Education Student by the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), which serves more than 350 institutions in North America.
Price’s lifelong struggle against poverty was beaten back by her quest for an education. The San Diego resident, military wife and mother of three earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies online last June.
Sidlauskas’ inventive methods yield teaching award
Oct. 29, 2012 – Due to his tireless efforts to deliver the best education possible to his Ecampus students, fisheries and wildlife sciences instructor Brian Sidlauskas won the honor for Innovation in Online Credit Teaching at the 2012 Vice Provost Awards for Excellence ceremony. The awards were presented by the Division of University Outreach and Engagement.
Linda Brewer, the coordinator of Ecampus horticulture online degree program, won the Program Support Award thanks in part to her continuous efforts to work with instructors and give students a broader selection of online courses.
National prizes come in silver and bronze for Ecampus marketing
Oct. 4, 2012 – The Oregon State Ecampus marketing department maintained its place as an industry leader by winning awards in three diverse categories at the UPCEA Marketing and Publications Awards seminar.
The Ecampus team won a silver award in the Most Improved category for the Ecampus overview fliers, which are sent to prospective students who request more information about Ecampus online programs and courses.
A video on the world-class faculty of Ecampus won a bronze award in the Streaming/On-Demand Content category, and the Strategic Recruitment Marketing Plan bronze award was given for OSU’s efforts toward the Natural Resources Leadership Academy.
OSU alumna Price deemed ‘Outstanding’ for dedication, success
Oct. 3, 2012 – Sarah Price, an Oregon State University graduate from San Diego, won the Outstanding Non-traditional Student award from the University Professional & Continuing Education Association at their Region West conference in Park City, Utah, marking another recent milestone in a life that was previously plagued by adversity.
Price earned a liberal studies degree online with Ecampus in June 2012. Her childhood was beset by homelessness, extreme poverty, food insecurity and teen pregnancy, but she always saw a college education as her ticket to a better future. She is now being considered for UPCEA’s national award.
Ecampus again ranked among the nation’s 10 best
Aug. 2, 2012 – For the fourth time in two years, Oregon State Ecampus is being touted by an independent organization as one of the nation’s 25 best online colleges – and this time it resulted in our highest ranking yet.
SuperScholar places OSU Ecampus at No. 8 on its updated “25 Best Online Colleges” ranking, up from No. 9 in January. The list is designed as a tool to help prospective students make a smart choice about where to earn an online degree. Regionally accredited universities were evaluated based on market credibility and prestige, academic quality, student support, student satisfaction and bachelor’s degree selection.
Ecampus was ranked No. 16 by TheBestSchools.org in a similar list in 2012 and No. 18 by TheBestColleges.org in 2011.
O&E associate provost King recognized for career excellence
June 2012 – Dave King, the associate provost for Outreach and Engagement at OSU, was awarded the 2012 Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) Professional Award – the highest award conferred by ACE.
The award recognizes King’s contributions to the communication and information technology profession over an extended career and his leadership in a variety of efforts.
King has 36 years experience at land-grant universities and nonprofit organizations. While at Purdue University and under the auspices of the USDA in 1992, he developed the national impact reporting system which was adopted by all land-grant universities in the country. In 2000, King and Mike Boehlje designed the national “eXtension” initiative, providing an online and information technology outlet for Extension programming nationwide.
Templeton the new chair of UPCEA’s management and innovation team
Lisa L. Templeton, Extended Campus executive director
May 2012 – Lisa L. Templeton, the executive director of OSU Extended Campus, has been selected as the chair of the Program Management & Innovation Network for the University Professional & Continuing Education Association. UPCEA is the nation’s leading organization for universities engaged in professional, continuing, and online education.
“Lisa has distinguished herself for several years by actively supporting and building UPCEA programs, and her appointment as chair of this network shows the confidence we have in her,” said CEO Robert Hansen. “She is one of the rising stars of UPCEA.”
National award puts Oregon State on the cutting Edge
February 2012 – Dan Edge, the head of OSU’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Science, was recognized nationally for his exemplary work as an educator in the field of online and continuing education. Edge won the Excellence in Teaching Award from the University Professional and Continuing Education Association, which serves more than 350 institutions in North America. He was one of only two in the nation to receive the award this year. It is UPCEA’s highest national honor.
OSU Ecampus makes national top 10 list
January 2012 – The Ecampus distance education program at Oregon State University was ranked ninth in the nation by SuperScholar for the quality and strength of its program. The ranking was made in a survey of “Best Online Colleges and Universities in 2012,” and builds on similar recognition made last year to the program, when a different national organization also recognized it as one of the top 25 nationally.
Impact, innovation, support lead to accolades for profs and advisors
December 2011 – A pair of Oregon State faculty members who teach Ecampus courses and the OSU fisheries and wildlife advising team capped the year in notable fashion, each winning a Vice Provost Award for Excellence from the division of Outreach and Engagement.
Mark Edwards, an associate professor in the Department of Sociology, earned the Strategic Impact Award for achieving meaningful outcomes relevant to the signature areas of the OSU Strategic Plan. Edwards was also instrumental in helping Ecampus launch an online undergraduate degree in sociology in 2011.
Paul Ries won the Innovation in Online Credit-based Teaching Award for his work as an affiliate faculty member in the College of Forestry. Ries employs an interactive approach to his forestry and horticulture courses that enhances student access to enrichment by prompting them to think critically about the local and global environment.
The fisheries and wildlife distance education advising team was honored with the Program Support Award. The advisors group furthered OSU’s mission of outreach and engagement by going above and beyond their job expectations while serving a large Ecampus student population.
Busch named Most Outstanding Student despite tumultuous year
October 2011 – Here’s a feature article on Ecampus student Erika Busch, who this month was named Outstanding Non-traditional Student by the University Professional & Continuing Education Association’s West Region, a group that represents more than 60 universities and colleges. Busch lives in Sioux Falls, S.D., and is on track to graduate cum laude from OSU with a B.S. in Human Development and Family Sciences.
Ecampus students earn OSU’s prestigious Waldo-Cummings Award
Dirk Gard is a Waldo-Cummings Award winner for academics.
May 2011 – OSU Extended Campus (Ecampus) students Dirk Gard and Carmon Thomas joined elite company as they were honored with the university’s Waldo-Cummings Award, given annually to 10 undergraduates in recognition of academic excellence.
Gard is a wind farm manager from Casper, Wyo., who graduated magna cum laude in June 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources. (Read a complete profile of Gard online.)
Thomas, a single mother of three living in Philomath, Ore., is a human development and family sciences major. She plans to pursue a career as a licensed social worker after graduation, and she currently works as a volunteer for the Benton County School District’s Special Education Advisory Board, which she helped create in 2005.
Fellow Ecampus students Christopher Condry (Kokomo, Ind., B.S. Political Science), Lynda Green (Florence, Ore., B.A. Liberal Studies) and Dazzia Szczepaniak (Eugene, Ore., B.S. Liberal Studies) received Honorable Mention status for the Waldo-Cummings Award. All three earned their OSU degrees in June.
Marketing staff lands six national awards at UPCEA conference
April 2011 – The marketing team of OSU Extended Campus made a splash at a national conference in Toronto, taking home six awards for its work across a variety of media platforms. Ecampus was honored with four silver and two bronze awards at the University Professional & Continuing Education Association’s (UPCEA) annual Marketing and Publication Awards banquet.
UPCEA honored Ecampus with silver awards for a radio advertisement; a news release written about the Master of Natural Resources degree program; and a billboard and a single ad of three or more colors. Bronze awards were given for the “No campus required” print-ad campaign and the interactive OSU Summer Session online photo contest.
Outreach efforts of developer, instructor net Awards of Excellence
2010 – The division of Outreach and Engagement at OSU each year recognizes outstanding contributions by faculty and staff that significantly advance the department’s mission, and OSU Extended Campus played a key role in doing so in 2010. Lead web developer/designer Ian Cavalier and College of Liberal Arts director Susana Rivera-Mills each received Vice Provost Awards for Excellence for their respective efforts.
Cavalier was honored with the Service Award, which is given annually for exceptional support to an organizational function. Rivera-Mills earned the award for Innovation in Online Credit-based Teaching, given to those who pioneer a new innovative approach to the design or execution of their instruction.
Ecampus marketing returns from national conference with five awards
March 2009 – The OSU Extended Campus (Ecampus) marketing team was the recipient of three University Continuing Education Association Marketing and Publications gold awards for the OSU Summer Session 2008 Web site, a YouTube commercial for Ecampus online chemistry courses and labs and for the marketing campaign for the Ecampus online chemistry courses and labs. Silver awards were given to the OSU Summer Session 2008 e-newsletter and a media release on the Spanish-language Phytophthora training course for nursery growers.
Dean emeritus honored for outstanding service
Apr. 2007 – Bill McCaughan, who retired as dean of Extended Campus in December 2006, was one of two people awarded the Walton S. Bittner Citation for outstanding service to the Univerisity Continuing Education Association (UCEA). Under McCaughan’s watch, the Extended Campus online degree program’s enrollment more than tripled, growing from 14,000-plus total student credit hours in 2001-02 to more than 45,000 in 2006-07. McCaughan also received the UCEA West Award for Professional Contributions to Continuing Education at the 2006 UCEA West regional conference.
Online pharmacy course awarded at UCEA
Apr. 2007 – At the 2007 University Continuing Education Association (UCEA) awards in Vancouver, B.C., Extended Campus was honored with the distinguished “Distance Learning Non-Credit Course Award” for the online course Human Resource Skills for Pharmacists, a collaboration with OSU’s College of Pharmacy.
Marketing team wins a trio of awards at UCEA
Apr. 2007 – OSU Extended Campus won three marketing/publication awards at the 2007 University Continuing Education Association (UCEA) awards in Vancouver, B.C. The statewide campaign to community colleges was awarded a silver in the Mixed-Media Campaign under 25,000 category. The Ecampus newsletter “E-News” received two bronze awards, for “Electronic Marketing and Communication: E-Communication under 25,000” and “Most Improved under 25,000.”
ESOL professor honored at national conference
Feb. 2007 – Kathryn M. Ciechanowski, an assistant professor and Ecampus program lead for ESOL/Bilingual endorsement, was awarded first place for her dissertation and was honored at the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) conference in San Jose.
OSU, Ecampus instructor Wright earns statewide distinction
May 2006 – Dawn Wright, a professor in the Department of Geosciences, received the Oregon Assembly for Black Affairs (OABA) Education Award. The OABA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan statewide organization whose purpose is to improve the political, educational, social, legal and economic status of African-Americans in Oregon. Wright was cited for her many presentations to community youth about mapping and exploring the oceans, including the Corvallis NAACP Awards ceremony and GIS Day.
OSU grad Roberts chosen as outstanding national student
March 2005 – After winning the regional award in September 2004, Christine Roberts was selected to receive the prestigious National Outstanding Continuing Education Student Award. She traveled to Boston to speak at the national conference and receive her award. Ms. Roberts, who finished her bachelor’s degree though OSU Ecampus in June 2004, is now employed in the federal government.
Extended Campus marketing team wins six national awards at UCEA
March 2005 – The marketing team at Ecampus brought home six awards at the University Continuing Education Association national conference in Boston. Of the six awards, three were for website design, and one each for E-communications, logo design and most improved website.
Ecampus student wins regional UCEA Award
September 2004 – Christine Roberts was selected Outstanding Nontraditional Student at the 2004 University Continuing Education Association held in Guadalajara, Mexico. Ms. Roberts, an older than average student with a family and a disability, overcame a myriad of difficulties to persevere and finish her Liberal Studies degree, magna cum laude in June 2004.
Ecampus faculty honored at University Day
September 2004 – Among the OSU faculty and staff honored at the 2004 University Day presentation on September 21 were the following Ecampus faculty members: Donna Champeau, Public Health – OSU Faculty Teaching Excellence Award; Rebecca Warner, Sociology – Elizabeth P. Ritchie Distinguished Professor Award; Clara Pratt, Human Development & Family Sciences – D. Curtis Mumford Faculty Service Award; Leslie Davis Burns, Design & Human Environment – Richard M. Bressler Senior Faculty Teaching Award and the Beaver Champion Award; and Paula Minear, Ecampus Department and Student Services Director – OSU Exemplary Employee Award. Congratulations to all!
Instructor honored with Women of Achievement award
April 2004 – Rebecca Concepion was honored as the first student to win the community’s Women of Achievement award. Concepion, who teaches HHS 231 for Extended Campus, is also a doctoral candidate in Exercise and Sports Science and has been recognized for her research on the role of physical activity in the healing process of domestic violence survivors. The award is sponsored by OSU’s Women’s Center and the Community Alliance for Diversity.
Animal sciences course receives ACE award
April 2004 – ANS 312, Applied Animal Nutrition: Feedstuffs and Ration Formulation won a silver award from the Association for Communication Excellence for Distance Education and Instructional Design. The course was one of 424 entries for the annual ACE awards. Instructor Patrick French and graduate student Annette Buyserie designed the course with assistance from the Ecampus Project Development Team.
Ecampus instructor named to Fish & Wildlife Commission
April 2004 – Dan Edge, Department Chair of Fisheries and Wildlife and Ecampus instructor at OSU, was appointed by Governor Kulongoski as a member of the Oregon Fish & Wildlife Commission. The commission forms state programs and policies for the management of fish and wildlife resources. Dr. Edge is an internationally recognized wildlife ecologist and award-winning instructor.
Deans Bill McCaughan (Ecampus) and Thayne Dutson (College of Ag Science) at the ADEC Awards Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
Natural resources program wins national award
May 2003 – Read about how the OSU Natural Resources online degree program won a national award for Excellence in Distance Education in 2003 from ADEC, the American Distance Education Consortium. The program won this award for the second year in a row.
Dr. Mark Merickel elected UCEA National Commissioner
2003 – Associate Dean of OSU Extended Campus, Mark Merickel, has been elected to serve until 2006 as a national commissioner for the University of Continuing Education Association (UCEA) in the area of “Learning, Instruction and Technology.”
Ecampus instructor takes the gold for FW 340 course
2003 – Judy Li won a Gold Award from the Agricultural Communicators in Education for her Fisheries & Wildlife distance course, FW 340: Multicultural Perspectives in Natural Resources. Hers was one of 469 entries submitted to the Critique and Awards program.
OSU Extended Education Faculty Achievement Award
2002 – Dr. Mark Merickel, professor of Education and Associate Dean for OSU Extended Campus, was one of two recipients to receive the OSU Extended Education Faculty Achievement Award. In Merickel’s 11 years on the OSU faculty, he has excelled in “developing innovative and effective strategies for extending the instructional programs of OSU to working professionals and the growing non-resident, non-traditional student body of the institution.”
Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
2002 – Distance faculty Chris Stehr was awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit from the Federal Republic of Germany. This award was instituted in 1951 by Federal President Theodor Heuss to honor all fields of endeavor and is the highest tribute the Federal Republic of Germany can pay to individuals for services to the nation.
Edge wins USDA’s Food and Agriculture Sciences teaching award
2002 – Dan Edge, a distance instructor for OSU’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, is one of eight educators nationally to receive USDA’s Food and Agriculture Sciences Teaching Award. The award is based on seven categories that assess aspects such as overall teaching ability, creativity, variety, expertise and student services.
Women Studies distance course wins national award
2002 – OSU’s Extended Campus course WS 223, taught by Susan Shaw, was given the Meritorious award at the UCEA Annual Conference, as part of the Distance Learning Community of Practice Awards. The Distance Learning Course awards recognize new and innovative courses that utilize one or more forms of instruction at a distance in three categories: college, K-12 and non-credit. Under the college category, one of two Meritorious Course Awards went to WS 223: Women, Self and Society at OSU. The course was written by Susan Shaw, with assistance from her graduate students and produced by the OSU Extended Campus course development team.
