KDE has instituted the Stilwell Award for those outstanding vendor and university partners who have helped KDE fulfill their mission to the students and citizens of the commonwealth.
Dr. William E. Stilwell, an emeritus faculty member of the UK College of Education who currently manages listservs and provides faculty support within the College, is the first recipient and namesake of an award that recognizes technology partnerships.
The notation on the award reads, “For personal dedication and outstanding service in education technology for the teachers and children of the commonwealth – Bill Stilwell 2008 Above and Beyond.”
Bill was the overwhelming first choice for this award, and naming it after him is a reflection of the selfless work he's done to improve educators' access to modern technology. It's great to be able to recognize someone who's done so much for the K-12 community.
David Couch Associate Commissioner noted "I want to do something that recognizes an unsung hero that has gone above and beyond the call of duty in the area of education technology for many years to help all K-12 students, teachers and administrators. Bill is that person. Even in retirement he has kept the K-12 Listserv in operation. It is perhaps the best example of what was intended between K-12 and higher ed in the 1990 education reform act."
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) plans to present the award on an annual basis.
"This award recognizes the outreach by the University and by the College faculty and staff to the K-12 community," Stilwell said.
Stilwell retired from UK in 2006, but continues to work on the College of Education Web site and manage listservs, including more than 140 that are specifically geared toward K-12 teachers and administrators. These K-12 listservs provide ways for educators to communicate regularly on topics of importance and share information, ideas and resources among the groups. Currently, the listservs have more than 30,000 subscribers.