BALTIMORE — Coppin State University (CSU) has been named the winner of the Blackboard Catalyst Award for Student Success, which honors individuals and/or institutions whose creative program application has led to increased retention, increased completion, and/or improved outcomes.
Founded in 2005 by education technology leader Blackboard Inc., the annual Catalyst Awards recognize and honor innovation and excellence in the Blackboard global community of practice, where millions of educators and learners work every day to redefine what is possible when leveraging technology. Winners are selected by a cross-functional team of experts from Blackboard.
A four-person team from CSU— University President Dr. Maria Thompson; Mr. Prasad Doddanna, Director of Information Systems; Dr. Ahmed El-Hagan, Vice President and Chief Information Officer; and Dr. Dionne Curbeam, Director of Instructional Technology Department— will be honored alongside other Blackboard Catalyst Award winners during BbWorld 2017; Blackboard’s annual user conference to be held July 25-27 in New Orleans.
“It is gratifying to have the work we’ve been undertaking to enhance the level of student success recognized,” said Dr. Thompson. “Our focus has been on democratizing data and investing in analytics and we’ve seen a positive outcome related to our Fall 2016 freshman enrollment. Our creation of a student success council was also instrumental to our overall success.”
“Blackboard is proud to recognize this year’s Catalyst Award winners for their commitment to leveraging technology to improve the education experience,” said Bill Ballhaus, Chairman, CEO and President of Blackboard. “We look forward to continuing to work with these educators and institutions to support learner success, and to share best practices widely for the benefit of the education community.”