Congratulations to these members of the NIU College of Education family!
Todd Gilson, the NIU College of Education’s associate dean of Research, Resources and Innovation, has been chosen as president-elect of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP).
AASP is the premier association that ensures every performer has the resources to strengthen their inner edge through the advancement and application of excellence in mental performance and mental health. That is done through cultivating an inclusive field of Certified Mental Performance Consultants®, licensed mental health professionals, educators and researchers.
Gilson’s commitment to the association, along with his experience and perspective, is expected to help strengthen the organization and support its continued growth and impact.
“We are grateful for your dedication to advancing the mission and vision of AASP,” wrote representatives of the executive board and Nominations/Leadership Development Committee. “We are confident that your leadership will make a meaningful contribution to the Association and to our members.”
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Olha Ketsman, assistant professor in the Department of Learning Innovation, Leadership and Technology, has successfully completed the EMERGai Institute’s Summer Workshop.
The week-long professional learning experience was hosted by the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at North Carolina State University in partnership with the University of Minnesota. The institute is supported by the National Science Foundation.
Participation in the EMERGai Institute was highly competitive, bringing together a national cohort of early- and mid-career STEM education researchers from colleges and universities across the United States.
Throughout the week, participants examined the opportunities and challenges of generative artificial intelligence in the research process, developed practical strategies for integrating AI into scholarly workflows, explored ethical and methodological considerations, and collaborated with other researchers.
Participants also advanced their own research projects by designing and refining AI-supported workflows that promote rigorous, transparent and responsible research practices.
Ketsman will continue to engage in the national community of practice and participate in mentoring, collaborative learning and applied research activities throughout the academic year to refine and implement her project.
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Jason Rhode, an associate professor in the Department of Learning Innovation, Leadership and Technology, will assume an expanded leadership role at NIU as vice provost for Academic Innovation and Lifelong Learning.
As a collaborative and forward-thinking leader, Rhode has made a lasting impact throughout his NIU career by enhancing teaching excellence, supporting faculty development and helping NIU adapt to a rapidly changing educational environment.
He will build on this momentum to lead university efforts that continue to expand access, foster innovation and create new opportunities for student success.
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Sue Dalton, an instructor in the Department of Special and Early Education’s Vision Studies program, was doubly honored at this month’s Association of Vision Rehabilitation Therapists (AVRT) conference in Burlington, Vermont.
Dalton received the Lenore Dillon Leadership Award and was granted AVRT Fellow status.
Recipients of the Lenore Dillon Leadership Award demonstrate exceptional leadership in an international, national or regional role; display a high degree of enthusiasm and passion for the profession of vision rehabilitation therapy; and exhibit a commitment to promoting professionalism in support of continuing education, certification and mentorship.
AVRT fellow status recognizes sustained professional excellence, leadership, service and meaningful contributions to the advancement of Vision Rehabilitation Therapy.
This distinction honors individuals whose work has strengthened the profession; supported colleagues and emerging professionals; and advanced independence, inclusion and opportunity for people who are blind or have low vision.
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Two scholars with NIU College of Education connections have been elected to the Reading Hall of Fame and are set for formal induction in December at the annual conference of the Literacy Research Association.
Alfred W. Tatum, executive director of the Literacy Research Center and Clinic at Metropolitan State University of Denver and recent president of the Literacy Research Association, has focused his research on the literacy development of African American boys. He has authored more than 80 publications on the topic.
Tatum earned his B.S.Ed. in Elementary Education from NIU in 1992 and was a faculty member in the Department of Literacy Education from 2005-2007. He began his career as an eighth-grade teacher in Chicago.
Martha Rapp Ruddell, professor emerita at Sonoma State University, focused her research on classroom interactions and how students and teachers make sense of school, specifically with regard to vocabulary development and content learning.
Rudell, who taught in the NIU College of Education in the 1970s and ’80s, is a member of the California Reading Hall of Fame and was president of the Literacy Research Association. She also was the International Literacy Association representative to the International Day of Literacy Conference-UNESCO/World Association of Newspapers in Paris, France.
Other members of the Reading Hall of Fame with NIU affiliations are former faculty members Jerry L. Johns, Norman A. Stahl and Richard Vacca, and doctoral alumnus Gerald G. Duffy.
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Sarah O’Leary-Driscoll, a doctoral student in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, received the Lederman Scholar Award this spring from the Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA).
The award honors a member of the employee community who produced an in-field publication or acceptance for publication of a book or refereed article; submission of tapes, slides or photographs from a juried artistic performance or exhibit; or presentation at conference.
O’Leary-Driscoll has been a member of IMSA’s biology faculty for the past 14 years, during which one of her main goals as an educator is to help students see the importance of science in their own lives and the future of their world.
At NIU, she and faculty members Corrine Wickens and Michael Manderino co-authored “Can We Even Get Back to Normal? Understanding Educational Responses in (Post)Pandemic Contexts,” published in the Fall 2025 issue of the Harvard Educational Review.
She also published “Seeing the Unseen: Inquiry Driven Campus Hydrogeology Project” in 2019 with Melissa E. Lenczewski, professor in the NIU Department of the Earth, Atmosphere and Environment.
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