2003 Nancy DeLaurier Award
Remarks by Christina Updike upon receipt of the 2003 Nancy DeLaurier Award
VRA Conference in Houston, TX, April 9th
Thank you so much!
When I received Jenni Rodda's phone call informing me of this recognition award, my first reaction was speechlessness, which is very uncharacteristic for me. The silence prompted Jenni to say, "Are you there, Tina?" I replied to her that I was still on the line; I was just overwhelmed by this honor coming from my esteemed VRA colleagues and the Board of this professional association.
Later that day as I reflected on the honor, my thoughts kept returning to the fact that my achievement is not accomplished in a vacuum. There are so many people who worked together to make the MDID a reality. I want to acknowledge these people who have been my support system - they are the wind beneath my wings!
The original, amazing MDID creation team with whom I worked included:
Kathleen Arthur, professor of art history and co-grant recipient with me; Sharon Pitt, director of the Center for Instructional Technology; Derek Carbonneau, programmer and project leader; Kevin Hegg, programmer and database designer; Craig Baugher, graphic designer; and Miriam Guthrie, instructional technologist.
The JMU administration supporters are: Cole Welter, director of the School of Art and Art History and head cheerleader for everything MDID; Richard Whitman, dean of my College of Arts and Letters; Ralph Alberico, dean of Libraries and Educational Technologies; and Douglas Brown, vice president for Academic Affairs.
The current, equally amazing, MDID team co-members are: Sandra Maxfield, director of the Center for Instructional Technology, who is here tonight also attending this conference; Kevin Hegg and Andreas Knab, programmers currently working on MDID2; Sarah Cheverton, faculty support in the CIT; Lynne George, my new part-time assistant in visual resources, whose hire was made possible with the support of our recent Mellon grant; as well as all the art history faculty users, whose enthusiasm for MDID has contributed to its success.
I must also acknowledge the support provided by my loving family, especially my parents who instilled in me an incredible work ethic and who taught by example the value of giving back by sharing your time, talent, and resources. And most important, my husband Phil, who patiently listens to my ideas and says, "You can do it, Tina."
Thank you, Kathe Albrecht and Chris Hilker, for my nomination and to my friends and colleagues who wrote letters of support. Again, I express my sincere appreciation to the VRA Executive Board for providing these recognition awards. I am honored to take this plaque back to JMU and share it with my supporters.
