Bunnie Johnson-Messelt, former director of NDSU’s Disability Services, is among a group that recently received a 2021 Friend Award from the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance, known as Great Plains IDEA.
Others recognized with the honor include Nancy Hartenhoff-Crooks from South Dakota State University, Barbara Hammer of the University of Missouri, Jason Maseberg-Tomlinson from Kansas State University and Steven Moats of Iowa State University. The group was celebrated for committed leadership in the academic alliance.
The honor came at the organization’s annual meeting on March 2. The awardees were nominated by Carla Peterson, Nancy Rygg Armbrust professor of early childhood education at Iowa State University; Ann Pearce, assistant director of the Kansas State University Student Access Center; Jill Thorngren, professor and dean in the College of Education and Human Sciences at South Dakota State University; and Laura Oster-Aaland, NDSU vice provost for student affairs and enrollment management.
“Bunnie retired from NDSU in 2016 after a successful career as director of Disability Services. I had the honor of working with Bunnie during her time at NDSU, and I can speak to her qualities as a servant leader and competent professional who put students at the center of her work,” Oster-Aaland wrote. “She received significant recognition from various campus entities recognizing her commitment to diversity and inclusion, her service to students and her leadership with her colleagues.”
Johnson-Messelt’s honors included induction into NDSU’s Tapestry of Diverse Talents (now the Tapestry of Inclusion), Student Support Services Leadership Award and the Prakash Mathew Distinguished Service Award from the Department of Residence Life.
Iowa State’s Peterson praised the award recipients. “These individuals played key roles in establishing protocols for communications among universities regarding students’ disabilities and needs for instructional accommodation, thus making participating in Great Plains IDEA programs possible for many students," she said.
Through Great Plains IDEA, 17 accredited member institutions and two accredited affiliate institutions, in various combinations, offer online courses in 18 academic programs. Students can choose from 11 online degrees and 15 online certificates.
NDSU participates in seven human sciences programs and four agricultural programs through the consortium.
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