Kudos: Stefaniak, alumna receive awards; Knapp elected chair of UGA's ITMF

Stefaniak receives award for excellence in research

Jill Stefaniak, an associate professor in the Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology, was the inaugural recipient for the Charles B. Hodges Award for Excellence in Research by the Editorial Board of TechTrends at the 2025 Association for Educational Communications and Technology’s annual convention. Stefaniak was recognized for her efforts to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and practice in the field of learning, design, and technology.

Alumna receives 2025 Alumni of Distinction Award

Catherine Bradshaw (M.Ed. ’99), an alumna of the guidance and counseling program, was one of six recipients of the UGA Graduate School’s 2025 Alumni of Distinction Award.

Bradshaw serves as a university professor and the senior associate dean for research at the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development and as a faculty advisor with UVA’s Office of the Vice President for Research. Her research centers on school-based prevention of behavioral and mental health problems.

Created in 2012 with the first recipients named in 2013, the Graduate School Alumni of Distinction Award recognizes outstanding alumni for success in their careers and service in their communities.

Read the full story in UGA Today.

Knapp elected chair of UGA’s Information Technology Management Forum

Ralph Knapp, director of information technology for the College, has been elected to a two-year term as chair of the Information Technology Management Forum (ITMF). ITMF members serve as recognized advisors to the vice president for information technology and the associate CIO for university information security and Enterprise Information Technology Services. The members provide a source of expertise on technology management and leadership issues.

Forum members serve as technology leaders and advocates throughout the university community. The group facilitates collaboration and communication among IT units and at all levels of the university. It also promotes and adopts efficient information technology implementations, integrates local and centralized IT services when appropriate, and provides input on standards and policy development and other information technology matters involving the campus as a whole.

This is Knapp’s second term as chair of ITMF. He previously served as chair from 2018-2019.