Eleven members of the Florida State community were recognized for their contributions to distance learning during the 2012-2013 Distance Learning Awards Ceremony Nov. 13. The event was held in conjunction with National Distance Learning Week. “At Florida State, we strive to create the same level of quality learning for our distance students that their on-campus counterparts enjoy,” said Susann Rudasill, director of the Office of Distance Learning. A special Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Florida State President Emeritus Talbot “Sandy” D’Alemberte for his early and continuing support of distance learning. “Without Sandy’s pioneering efforts on behalf of distance learning at Florida State, our programs would not be as extensive and highly regarded as they are today,” Rudasill said. Kevin Beaver, professor, College of Criminology and Criminal Justice was awarded an Excellence in Online Teaching Award. As the director of the graduate and undergraduate distance learning programs, his online teaching focuses on enhancing the learning process by activity encouraging student engagement. He teaches an array of online course topics, including criminological theory, research methods, and statistics. All Florida State instructors of record and mentors were eligible to be nominated. Submissions were evaluated on quality of design, ability to engage students, and effectiveness of technology and online teaching strategies. The nominations were reviewed by a committee of ODL instructional development faculty members and past University Teaching Award recipients including, Tim Glenn, College of Visual Arts, Theatre and Dance; Susan Fiorito, College of Business; Phyllis Underwood, College of Education; and Lisa Waxman, Visual Arts, Theatre and Dance.