UPCEA Region West
In Honor of Excellence Awards
Winner – 2014
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.