Awards<Information
Special Education Administrator of the Year: Denny Ulmer
Denny Ulmer has been named the 2008 MASE Special Education Administrator of the Year at the Spring Conference and was honored for his long time dedication to providing quality, comprehensive, and cost effective services in our public schools for students with disabilities and their families, as well as his active involvement in professional and community affairs. Denny has been a special education administrator for 23 years serving numerous public schools in North Central Minnesota. Previous to his position working with the Bemidji Regional Intradistrict Council (BRIC), he worked for the Park Rapids Area Special Education Cooperative. He is also a former building principal and special education teacher and has served as adjunct faculty for Minnesota State University Bemidji and Moorhead.
Most recently, Denny was appointed and served as the MASE representative on the Minnesota 2007 Legislative Task Force on Special Education. The Task Force was charged with determining where Minnesota rules and statues exceed federal law and to recommend to the legislature possible amendment for those areas that exceed. Because of his widely recognized tenacity and extensive knowledge of special education law, he was able to contribute significantly to the work of the Task Force.
Denny has also represented MASE on numerous other committees over the years including the Minnesota Mental health Action Group. Denny is a past MASE board member, Past President, and a current member of the MASE legislative and Nominating Committees. He is a member of the council for Exceptional Children, chairs the NW Directors of Special Education Association, is Immediate Past Chair of the Beltrami Area Service Collaborative and Hubbard County DAC Board of Directors Past Chair. Denny was honored with the MASE Distinguished Service Award in 2000. Congratulations, Denny!
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Distinguished Service Award: Senator Mark Dayton
The recipient of the 2008 MASE Distinguished Service Award is Senator Mark Dayton. Senator Dayton was honored at the Spring Conference for his concern for students with disabilities and his active involvement in professional and community affairs. He has displayed outstanding attributes in the areas of leadership, knowledge, and service. In his term as a U.S. Senator from 2001=2007, he was a strong advocate for public education. He frequently authored bills supporting the full funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). He was relentless in his efforts to push the federal government to meet their obligation. Senator Dayton also saw flaws in the under-funded mandates of No Child Left Behind. He felt strongly that the federal government had no right in passing or failing schools if they were not willing to adequately fund them to be successful. Senator Dayton actively sought input from the field of special education, listening carefully to the frustrations of special education professionals and seeking ways to make reduction in the bureaucracy of the IDEA implementation while truly serving the needs of children and families. It is with gratitude that MASE presents this award to Senator Dayton.
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Legacy Award: Bob Vaadeland
An important focus of MASE's work is the support of emerging educational leaders. The MASE Legacy Award recognizes a MASE member for his or her commitment to encouraging, developing, and mentoring leaders who reflect the MASE's mission. The recipient must be a current active MASE member who has significantly contributed to the professional growth and development of others through training, mentoring, personal support, and modeling at the local, regional, and state levels. The 2008 Legacy Award recipient is Bob Vaadeland, Assistant Superintendent and Director of Special Education, Bemidji Area Schools. Bob will receive his award at the MASE Fall Leadership Conference, October 22-24th at Cragun's in Brainerd. Congratulations, Bob!
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CASE Award for Professional Development: MASE
MASE received the CASE Award for Professional Development at the CASE Business Meeting on April 2nd in Boston in recognition of work in the area of professional development in 2006-2007. Congratulations to MASE Professional Development Cop-Chairs Renae Ouillette and Marlene Grindland for their leadership, and to CASE Liaison Duane Borgeson for his work on the annual report that described the professional development initiatives. MASE Board members Jeff Jorgensen and Keith Erickson were in Boston to accept the award.
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Revised 04/21/2008