Connie M. Forde of Mississippi State is the 2000 National Business Education Association's Collegiate Teacher of the Year.

A professor in the Technology and Education Department, Forde is a textbook author and contributor to several professional business education journals. She served as NBEA president in 1995-96.

Based in Reston, Va., the association is the nation's largest professional organization for individuals and groups engaged in instruction, administration, research, and dissemination of information for and about business.

Forde, who joined the Mississippi State faculty in 1987, is co-author of "College Keyboarding," a textbook released nationally in 1997 by South-West Educational Publishing.

She has received numerous honors in recent years, including the Southern Business Education Association Outstanding Leadership and President's Service awards, Mississippi Business Education Association Outstanding Business Educator Award, and the Mississippi State University Faculty Achievement Award.