Connie M. Forde of Mississippi State University 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, a former Bay Springs resident 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. It was the first keyboarding text designed exclusively for computer users.
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.
"Connie is known as an expert in her field, a role model for other teachers and a favorite of students," said Kathleen Richards, chair of the NBEA Awards Administrative Committee. Forde's colleagues echo Richards' observation.
"Dr. Forde is truly a master teacher who deserves to be rewarded for her superior teaching, her contributions to her students' lives and to her profession," said Judy A. Fleming, MSU associate professor of technology and education.
Forde holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi and a doctorate from the University of Mississippi.
