2021 IAACE Award Nominations are Open!

The IAACE Awards have been a member benefit since 1973.  The benefit includes the ability to be nominated in some categories and to do the nomination in all. Seven categories are open to all membership and two categories are nominated by the current board of directors. The award ceremony will be held at the Fall Conference in Michigan City at Blue Chip Casino on Friday, October 1st.

The IAACE organization proudly recognizes outstanding contributions in the following categories:

Business and Industry Partnership Award

The nominee is a person or organization that makes contributions to the field of adult education.  Perhaps that is a business that goes up and beyond with monetary support or a person/organization/business that collaborates with your organization on programming that allows your organization to exceed expectations of your adult learners or over-perform on measurements.

Outstanding Paraprofessional

The nominee is a current member of IAACE and is working in the field of adult education.  They have a minimum of two years of experience in a staff support position.  This individual goes above and beyond the call of duty more often than not. This nominee over-delivers and consistently meets the expectations of the team they support.

Outstanding New Adult Educator

The nominee is a current member of IAACE and is working in the field of adult education.  They have a minimum of one year of experience and not more than four years of experience as an adult educator. This educator outperforms on a daily basis for their adult learners.  They surpass the expectations of their administrator. They respect their adult learners and their adult learners respect them, they create a sense of community in their classroom, enthusiastic and caring, set a high expectation of their adult learners, and have their own love of learning. They have great leadership skills, they are flexible and they collaborate with colleagues and they maintain professionalism. They are a natural at this teaching thing!

Outstanding Adult Educator

The nominee is a current member of IAACE and is working in the field of adult education.  They have a minimum of five years as an adult educator. This educator outperforms on a daily basis for their adult learners.  They surpass the expectations of their administrator. They respect their adult learners and their adult learners respect them, they create a sense of community in their classroom, enthusiastic and caring, set a high expectation of their adult learners, and have their own love of learning. They have great leadership skills, they have the ability to shift gears in and out of the classroom and they collaborate with colleagues and they maintain professionalism. They are a natural at this teaching thing!

Outstanding Administrator/Coordinator

This nominee is a current member of IAACE and is currently working in adult education.  The nominee has at least one full year of experience as an administrator, coordinator, or director. This nominee is an excellent administrator who is an instructional leader with strong ethics, a dynamic personality, and an unyielding commitment to their adult learners and their team. In their pursuit of excellence, they are an excellent listener, adept at assessing the strengths and weaknesses of a diversity of individuals, programs, and processes.  They are committed to learning themselves are self-aware, have superb communication skills. They are resourceful and collaborators. They walk the walk and talk the talk to lead by example on a daily basis.

Outstanding Tutor/Volunteer

This nominee does not have to be a member of IAACE but must have at least one year of volunteering in adult education or literacy.  This nominee has shown outstanding dedication and commitment to adult education/literacy in the state of Indiana.  They have a strong work ethic and community-building skills. They communicate effectively and have superior listening skills. Their friendliness and approachability assist you, your organization, and learners to go above and beyond.

Outstanding Adult Learner of the Year

This nominee does not have to be a member of IAACE but ideally should be in your program for at least one year. The outstanding adult learner has good study habits and organizational skills. This nominee has changed their life with education.  They are an inspiration to you and others.

Teachers Credit Union Meritorious Service Award

(IAACE Board of Directors Nominates)

The Meritorious Service Award recognizes a single individual who has made a significant and meritorious contribution to the IAACE organization and its membership.  The recipient should be an individual who has given direct and extraordinary support to IAACE, demonstrating Adult Education Works in Indiana. All members of IAACE are eligible except active Board members. This award is sponsored and selected by the staff of the Teachers Credit Union.

Dr. John R. Craddock Award for Lifetime Service to Adult Education in Indiana

(IAACE Board of Directors Nominates)

To recognize and honor those who have committed a lifetime of service to adult education in Indiana. The award is named for Dr. John R. Craddock who was an early leader in Adult Education in Indiana. He served as the first editor of “The Adult Educator,” the official newsletter of the Indiana Association for Adult Education, was an officer for several years in the Adult Education Association of Indiana, and was instrumental in the merger of these two organizations into the Indiana Association of Adult and Continuing Education (IAACE). In 1962 Dr. Craddock took a year’s leave of absence from his position as Assistant Professor of Education at Ball State University to establish the Division of Adult Education in the Indiana Department of Public Instruction, later named Indiana Department of Education. This award honors Dr. Craddock’s contributions to Adult Education in Indiana.

Note: John R Craddock passed away on March 4, 2021. 

IAACE proudly offers this benefit to the membership as we firmly believe it is important for the Best of the Best to be recognized in the Adult Education field.  Each nomination will be carefully scored by the Award Committee and winners selected by the Award Committee based on those scored, the slate of winners will be presented to the IAACE Board of Directors in the September Board Meeting and presented at the Fall Conference on Friday, October 1st.

The Award Committee will be made of past award winners.  Tom Miller is your 2021 Award Committee Chair.

Another membership benefit is the retirement recognition within the Awards Ceremony. If you or a fellow teammate is retiring from the field of Adult Education, please notify the IAACE Director so that all retirees will be recognized for their achievement and dedication in the adult education career.

The deadline for all awards is Monday, August 9, 2021, at 6:00 pm EST/5:00 pm CST.

In order to begin a nomination, please visit https://iaace.com/conference/2021-award-nominations/.

Jenn Wigginton

Jenn is the IAACE Executive Director. Her passion for adult education shines through in everything she does for IAACE. You can invite her to a chat for questions anytime. Click here to book a time to chat with Jenn